Henry came down the hall with Snow on his heels.
"Is she ok?" he asked Emma.
Charming had called Snow at school and she had gotten Henry out of class and brought him down.
"We don't know yet," she responded. "Dr. Whale hasn't been out yet to talk to us."
"Well, what happened? How was she hurt?"
"She … we don't know, I … we found her unconscious in the kitchen. Her secretary had called when she hadn't showed up to work. But, there isn't a mark on her or anything, she just wouldn't wake up," Emma said.
Dr. Whale came out as she finished speaking and they all turned toward him.
"It appears Regina is in a coma," he said. "As of now, we don't know why or what caused it. We are running every test we can think of."
Emma pulled a plastic bag from her coat pocket, "here, you might want to test that."
Whale held up the bag that contained the apple. "What's this?"
"We found it lying near her. It looks like she took a bite from it. Maybe, maybe it was poisoned or something."
"Surely, you aren't suggesting someone poisoned the queen with an apple," Whale said.
"I just think we should explore all options," Emma said. "Someone has clearly been targeting Regina and using an apple, well, it would certainly send a message."
"Yes, but back home, the apple I bit into," Snow said. "It was poisoned by magic. It was a curse. The only way to wake up from it is true love's kiss."
"I'll do it," Henry offered. "I love her. Let me kiss her and then she'll wake up and she'll tell us what happened."
Snow put her hand on Henry's shoulder. "It's worth a try at the very least."
Emma nodded although she was already having doubts about it working. Something wasn't adding up about all of this, and for this to happen now after she and Regina …
"Maybe we should also have Gold look at the apple," Charming added. "If magic is involved, he would be able to tell us."
"Well, I will have a sample of this taken to the lab," Whale said. "Then you can have the remaining part for Mr. Gold to examine. A nurse will come out and let you know when Regina can have visitors."
Emma sat down, her mind working in overdrive thinking about this.
"Emma, are you ok?" Snow asked.
"It doesn't make sense. None of this makes sense," she said. "It hasn't since this whole thing started. If, if that apple is cursed, why wouldn't she have known that. She has her own magic, surely she could tell if it was cursed. And if she knew then why would she take a bite of it? Why now?"
"It's been that way from the beginning," her father said. "A lot of questions but no answers."
"Yeah, but why?" Emma insisted. "Why has this been so impossible to figure out? The things she experienced, she thought we were involved, but we weren't. She saw us though. She wasn't lying about what she saw, but we know we weren't involved. Magic is the only answer, but she said she sensed no magic."
"You also said her own magic was not working correctly," Snow said. "Maybe she was unable to detect another magic because of what was happening with her own."
Again, it was something she had considered before. She had thought she had considered everything, but she couldn't have because if she had then they would have made some progress.
…
It was a while before the nurse came to tell them that Regina could have visitors. Emma and Henry went in while her parents stayed out in the hall.
She looks like she is sleeping peacefully was Emma's first thought.
The nurse had updated them – telling them that they had found no cause for the coma as of yet. There were no puncture or injection marks or any other sign on her body that she had been assaulted in anyway. All her brain functions appeared to be normal, she had said.
Any other lab reports including those of the apple would be a while before results were completed.
"Should I kiss her?" Henry asked.
"Yeah kid, go ahead," Emma said.
Henry leaned over the bed and gave his mother a kiss on the cheek but nothing happened. The disappointment was clear on his face.
"We don't even know if this is a curse or not," Emma said.
"Maybe you should try it," Henry offered.
Emma looked at him, unsure what to say. Despite that she and Regina had already kissed, they hadn't really gotten the chance to talk much about it and what they would say to people, especially Henry.
Although Henry already knew at least that Emma cared for Regina. That was a long way from doing something like this – giving her a kiss in the hopes it would wake her. If it was a curse, a True Love's kiss was the only cure.
Emma wasn't sure if she was scared of it working or not working.
She approached the bed feeling more nervous now then maybe she had ever been. Leaning over it, she pressed her lips to Regina's but she immediately knew nothing was going to happen.
Standing back up, she looked to Henry.
"What do we do now?" he asked.
But she didn't have an answer.
…
One week later
Emma sat in the chair inside Regina's hospital room staring at her as she remained in a coma. They were no where close to figuring out what had happened to her or why she was in this state.
The apple had been tested by Whale and nothing had been discovered. Gold had also examined it and he said there was no trace it was magical in anyway. He even came to the hospital to see Regina and declared he could sense no magical reason for why she would be like this.
All the tests and scans that Whale had run on her had been for naught.
Every day Emma had come here to check on her, less time each day because she really didn't like seeing her like this. As it was, she was here on her lunch break and needed to leave soon to get back to work.
A knock on the door frame drew her attention to a new visitor – Archie.
"Hi Emma," he said. "Am I interrupting?"
"Clearly not."
Archie walked toward the bed and his eyes went to Regina first before turning toward her.
"How are you?"
"Just great," Emma said standing.
"Are you leaving?"
"I have to get back to work," she said walking toward the door.
"I was actually hoping I could speak with you in private," Archie said. "It's about Regina and what's been happening to her."
"If you know something why have you waited this long to say anything?" Emma asked.
"I don't know anything, or rather I don't know that I know anything," Archie said. "As you know Regina and I have been speaking at length since her last time in the hospital. We have talked about each of the attacks in detail, just as we have spoken about other topics such as her feelings for you."
Emma looked toward Regina, "she told you about that."
"Yes, which is why I thought I might speak to you in private," Archie said. "I would not break Regina's confidence if I didn't hope that maybe together we could figure out what is wrong with her."
"Did she give you any idea of who she thought was attacking her?"
"No, at least not beyond what she has already told you about your parents and you supposedly being involved."
"She didn't believe that."
"I know she didn't, although she did believe it at first. It was that convincing to her," Archie said. "And I think that might be key to understanding what it happening to her now."
"How do you mean?"
"It's already gotten all around town as I'm sure you are aware that Regina is lying here in this bed because she took a bite from an apple," Archie said. "The question then becomes who could convince her take such a bite?"
"If you have an idea who that might be, tell me," Emma said.
"I think it's a little more complicated than pointing the finger at someone," Archie said. "Again, I think you and I should speak in private."
This is why Emma hated shrinks, they could never just give you a straight answer. They wanted you to work for the answer they could have simply given you.
"After my shift, at your office, ok?" Emma said.
"Yes," he said.
…
Emma had found it hard to concentrate on her work for the rest of her shift. It wasn't just because of Archie, although he was the main reason. No, it was because all she could think of all the time now was how close she and Regina had become and how it may all be gone now.
She wished she could banish such negative thoughts from her head, but the truth was, she felt like a failure. She had promised to help Regina through all of this but she had yet to actually prevent one of these attacks from happening. She was no closer to figuring any of it out than she had been practically since the beginning.
Now Regina may never wake up.
Some where someone had wanted to make the Evil Queen pay, and they had succeeded.
Yet, the question Archie posed was still doing circles in her head. They knew Regina had taken a bite from the apple, an apple that while it had no trace of magic or poison, seemed to be the agreed upon reason as to why she was lying in a hospital bed.
So why would she take a bite?
Emma had been staying there so she knew the apple had not been in the house, which means someone had brought it in. But who could have brought it in?
She ended up leaving 30 minutes before her shift was over and going over to Archie's. She knocked on the door and as soon as he opened it, she was moving around him, speaking at the same time. "Whatever you know, you need to tell it to me straight," Emma said. "None of this shrink speak, just lay it out for me because clearly you know something."
"I don't know that I really know anything of use to you," Archie said. "And I am concerned about even speaking to you about conversations I had with Regina. Those conversations were of a private nature and I'm hesitant to speak of things said in confidence."
"I'm sure if Regina wakes up she will forgive you," Emma said. "Now tell me what is going on?"
"Please, sit."
Emma thought about remaining standing but instead took the offered seat.
"Before we talk, I need to ask you something," Archie said. "Do you have feelings for Regina?"
Emma started to laugh. She wasn't sure why she was laughing, only that it seemed so absurd that she would be sitting here in Archie's office and that he would so casually ask that. Especially, after all that had happened and after Regina fell into a coma the day after they had finally admitted they had feelings for each other.
"Yes," Emma said. "I have feelings for Regina. I've had them for a while now and the other night, I kissed her. And you know what? It was amazing. It was like all this tension and anxiety disappeared because there she was and there I was and for once we were just there together and it felt right. Then, then the next morning I go to work only to get called back to the house where she is lying there unconscious."
"You confessed your feeling for her and how did she react?"
Emma could again hardly believe she was having this conversation with him. "She kissed me back, that is how it went," she said. "She kissed me back and she was happy."
She almost missed the subtle expression change in Archie as it lasted only a second or two.
"What?" she asked.
"You say she was happy, are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure, what are you getting at?"
"No, I'm not doubting that she kissed you back or that she returns your feelings. In fact, I fear that the reason why Regina is lying there in the hospital bed right now is because of your mutual confession."
Emma stood up, she couldn't help it. She was done with this. "From the very beginning of this, Regina said the people who attacked her wanted her to stay away from me," Emma said. "It's not like I haven't thought about how that could be connected. So, if someone is targeting her because she and I have gotten close, and you know who that person might be you better speak up. Did Regina tell you something?"
"No, nothing like that. It's just I fear the reason she is in a coma has nothing to do with anyone else," Archie said. "I think Regina has done this to herself."
"What? That doesn't make any sense."
"It does though," Archie said. "It does because Regina doesn't believe she deserves to be happy."