Authors note: Chapter 10 already! I want to thank all of you who reviewed, favorited and/or followed ;)
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Regina groaned aloud as she stuffed another shirt the black duffle bag that was sitting on the hospital bed. She glared at the bag as if it had done something unforgivable. Once she had put all her belongings in the bag she zipped it up and sat herself down on the bed next to it with yet another angry huff.
"Stupid Swan." She mumbled under her breath as she checked the clock for the umpteenth time that morning. She had been allowed to go home today and Katherine was supposed to be here in five minutes to pick her up. Henry would probably be with her, seeing that she had given permission for Henry to miss a couple of days of school. The boy had lost his father a little over a month ago and now his mother was in the hospital also. Her poor son must have been terrified.
As Regina sat there, waiting for her ride to arrive a sudden nauseous feeling struck her. This had actually been the first time she was in a hospital since... that day. She had not been here since then, even though she had had an appointment with her OB/GYN a week after... her husband's death. It had all been to fresh back then.
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~ 6 weeks ago ~
"No please! You have to help him!" Regina sobbed as she followed the gurney her husband had been placed on. Two man dressed in blue coats with on the back 'paramedic' written in black were almost running as they pushed the gurney through the double doors and into the hospital.
Regina followed them all the way into a hallway where she was stopped by one of the nurses.
"You can't go any further, Madame Mayor." She said in a stern but not unkind voice.
"No you don't understand..." Regina sobbed as she tried to get her arm free from the woman's grip, but to no avail, the nurse would not budge. "I need- I need to see him, my husband..." Tears were streaming freely down her cheeks as she gave up fighting and exhaustion took over. "He- he just collapsed in my office. I need to know! I need to know if he's going to be okay. I can't- he can't leave me! He can't leave me alone to- to raise Henry and this baby all by myself!" If Regina wasn't so upset, she would've ripped herself away from the old nurse and walked away to the bathroom, she couldn't let people see her this weak. But now, she just couldn't help herself.
The old nurse felt that Regina was starting to get heavier and heavier as she lost the ability to carry her own weight. "Let's sit down, Regina." She said softly. Even though the Mayor was a kind woman, though sometimes a little bit of a bitch, no one ever dared to use her first name, it was always 'Miss Mills' or 'Madame Mayor' or 'Mayor Mills' . And she could easily guess Regina liked the authority it brought with it.
Regina could only nod tiredly as she felt herself being led to a chair. When the old nurse had finally placed Regina in the chair she sat back on her haunches so she could look the Mayor in her eyes. Grey eyes met teary brown ones when Regina finally lifted her head. "There, just breath, darling." She said softly and placed her wrinkly hands on the brunette's thighs and rubbed soothingly. "I will get you a glass of water and in the meantime you're going to dry your eyes with this." The old woman pulled a clean tissue from her pocket and handed it to Regina. "When I come back I want those eyes tear free and you breathing calmed down. This kind off stress is not good for your baby."
Regina nodded as she watched the old nurse walk away. She lifted the tissue and carefully rubbed the tears from her cheeks. When she was done she looked down again. Her hands were shaking and the tissue was stained black from her mascara.
"So, much better." The old nurse said as she handed Regina a white styrofoam cup. She took place in the chair next to Regina and just sat there for a minute.
"You don't have to stay, you know. I'm sure you have other things to do." Regina said in a hoarse voice from her crying and screaming.
"Actually, I don't. It's slow today, Madame Mayor." The nurse said with a kind smile.
"Please call me Regina."
"Regina then." She said softy. "I'm Rose."
There was a tense silence as Regina took slow and small sips of her water. Her hands were still shaking but she didn't pay much attention to that. Memories kept haunting her. Images of her husband collapsing in the middle of her office. It as so strange. One minute he was just talking to her and the next he was lying on her black and white floor, clutching his blouse over the place his heart was.
Regina had called the paramedics immediately and the two men arrived five minutes later with a gurney. She had been standing by her desk in shock, unable to do anything other then watching how the two men lifted her husband and placed his on the gurney. She clenched her hands around her desk as she listened carefully to what the paramedics said to each other. She had heard 'heart attack' and 'he's crashing' but the words hadn't really registered until she followed the paramedics out of the ambulance.
And now she was here. Worried sick. Wondering if her husband was going to survive.
"Is he going to make it?" Regina heard herself say before she could even think about it.
She didn't look up when she heard Rose shift in her seat. "There's no way of knowing, Regina. Your husband has had a pretty serious heart attack. But we're doing everything we can to help him."
Regina breathed deeply, trying to calm the upcoming wave of emotions. She laid a hand on top of her protruding stomach, feeling a small movement coming from the little girl inside of her. A watery smile lifted Regina's lips slightly.
Rose saw the move and smiled also. "How far along are you?" She asked carefully.
Regina kept stroking her belly as she finally shifted her gaze from the now almost empty cup in her hand to the old nurse next to her. "Five months."
"Do you know what you're having?" Rose asked, trying to distract the brunette in front of her.
The watery smile on Regina's face broadened. "A little girl."
"Congratulations." Rose smiled. "What does Henry think about having a little sister?"
"He's excited. He says he's going to protect her forever." Regina chuckled when she recalled the way her son had said the words. He had held his head high and his hands on his hips. Peter said he reminded her of his mother.
Peter...
"He just needs to survive this." Regina said softly. "I can't loose him. Not now"
Rose nodded understandingly. She placed a hand on Regina's shoulder and squeezed comfortingly. "I understand, darling. I really do."
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~ Present ~
Regina shook her head as she was snapped out of her memories by a soft knock on the doorpost. Katherine was standing in the doorway, carrying Henry on her hip.
"Are you ready?" She asked softly, not wanting to wake Henry, who was asleep in her arms.
"Yes, I'm fine." Regina said as she stood up and reached for Henry. Once the boy was back in his mother's arms, he slowly started to open his brown eyes.
"Mommy!" He squealed and wrapped his small arms around his mother's neck. "Awe we going home again?!"
Regina smiled when she nodded. "Yes Henry, we're going home again." She kissed his forehead and inhaled the familiar scent of his hair.
"Yay!" He yelled and buried his head in Regina's neck. "I missed you and my toys at home too!"
Regina chuckled as she rubbed his back. "I missed you too, darling."
She reached for her black duffle bag but before she could grab it, Katherine had already swung it over her shoulder.
The blonde winked and then proceeded to pull her car keys from her pocket. "Let's go then shall we." She smiled.
"Yes." Regina smiled in relieve. "Let's go. Finally."
...
It was almost one o'clock when Regina was done with putting the clothes she had worn in the hamper and had taken a long shower. Henry was sitting on her bed, playing with some toys when Regina walked in, dressed in black maternity slacks and a white blouse. She had put some makeup on and blow dried her hair.
"Mommy, can we go to Gwanny's?" Henry asked as he dropped the plastic car back on her bed.
Regina sighed as she sat down on the end of her bed and ruffled her son's brown hair. "You need a haircut, sweetheart." Regina said softly, more to herself then to Henry. "Well, you need to put on some pants if you want to go to Granny's."
Henry's brown eyes lit up as he quickly moved off the bed. "I'll do it, mommy!" He yelled and ran towards his room.
"No running Henry!" Regina tried to remind him, but the little boy was already out off the door.
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Emma was drinking a hot chocolate and eating a cheese burger in one of the booths at Granny's when she saw a familiar brunet boy run inside. She smiled when she heard the sultry voice she would recognized anywhere yell 'Henry'. Apparently Henry had left behind his mother.
It wasn't exactly a coincidence that Emma was sitting here. She had heard the Mayor would be released from the hospital today and she just couldn't resist the urge to come down here, hoping she would catch a glimps from the gorgeous but infuriating brunette.
Turns out it would be more then just a glimps.
Regina had come at the best time, if you asked Emma. The diner was packed, packed as in, all the seats were taken.
She was watching the door when the Mayor stepped inside, searching for her son.
"Henry, it's very busy, let's go home and we'll go tomorrow, okay darling?" She heard Regina say. A pout appeared on Henry's face as Emma saw him nod. Mother and son were about to turn around when Emma suddenly spoke up.
"Oh, Madame Mayor!" She yelled and watched how Regina turned around. Her brown eyes turned dark with anger when she saw Emma. "You can sit here, there's enough place." Emma grinned, this was the perfect opportunity to be with Regina - wait what?! She meant, mess with Regina.
Yes that was what she meant.
Regina's lips turned down in a displeased snarl. "Really, there's no need for that miss Swan."
"But mommy, that way we can sit!" Henry said enthusiastically.
"No, Henry, we wouldn't want to interrupt miss Swan's meal." Regina said slowly.
"Oh, it's fine Madame Mayor." Emma grinned again.
"See, she said it was fine! Please mommy?" Henry pouted.
There was a small moment of silence but Regina eventually relented. "Fine." She sighed.
"Thank you, mommy!" Henry squealed as he quickly climbed up the booth, facing Emma. Regina scooted in after him.
"I'm Henry!" The boy smiled as he stuck out his hand for Emma to take.
"Hi Henry." Emma smiled and shook his hand. "I'm Emma."
"So, why this sudden kindness, miss Swan?" Regina asked as she reached for the menu and gave it to Henry, who quickly opened it and began looking at the different kinds off food.
"Oh you know." Emma shrugged. "Just trying to be neighborly."
"Wouldn't that require you to actually live in this town, Miss Swan? Need I remined you that you do not."
"Well, Madame Mayor, then I guess this is the right moment to tell you that I've actually been looking for an appartment to rent around here." Emma grinned. It had been an absolute lie, but she was not about to let Regina know that. "I need a change of scenery, you know? I've been living in Boston for the last four years now and it's beginning to bore."
Regina bit the inside of her lip to keep the enraged snarl off of her face. Who did that woman think she was?! Rolling into her live and that of her sons's like that without her permission. She took a quick glance at her son and saw that he was deeply in thought about what he was going to choose.
"I know you do this just to spite me, miss Swan. And I must say that that's rather cruel. I do not need to see my husband's mistress every time I turn the corner."
Emma knew there was a glimmer of truth in that, but she just couldn't let it go. "The victim role doesn't suit you, Regina." Emma enjoyed the way fire burned in Regina's eyes because of the first name use. "Need I remind you that I did not know he was a husband and that I've apologized multiple times." Emma then sat back. "And not everything's about you, Madame Mayor."
Emma shot one smile to Henry and then stood up.
"Enjoy your meal."
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