Emma sobbed brokenly, covering her face with her hands.
"Oh, sweetie! Don't cry, it's okay!"
Mary Margaret tried to wrap the little girl in a consoling hug, but the girl rejected the advance and pulled further away from her until she accidentally slipped off of Mary Margaret's lap. Mary Margaret caught her before she fell to the ground, but couldn't stop the arm Emma flung out in sudden fright from banging against the edge of the desk.
Emma sucked in a deep breath and abruptly stopped crying. Mary Margaret saw her face go pale and her eyes widened. And then Emma screamed.
Mrs Smith ran to the office door and flung it open to find Mary Margaret looking panicked and pulling the little girl back into her lap. She lifted her eyes to give Mrs Smith a looked that begged her to help.
"She started crying, and then she hit her arm on the table," Snow explained desperately trying to calm Emma, holding her close.
Mrs Smith took the hand that Mary Margaret had indicated, and noticed the edge of bruise peeking out from under the sleeve of Emma's coat. She gently slid the garment up out of the way, and both she and Mary Margaret gasped when they saw Emma's wrist. The bruise was an angry purple, and her wrist was painfully swollen.
"I don't understand; she didn't hit it that hard!"
Mrs Smith's lips pressed together tightly. She released Emma's arm and Emma pulled it to her chest and cradled it, her screams replaced by whimpering cries.
"This didn't just happen," she told Mary Margaret, "There's already a bruise."
Mary Margaret stared at her over Emma's head, not understanding.
"But, she was fine just five minutes ago!"
"No she wasn't," Mrs Smith said, casting a troubled look at Emma. "She was in pain, she just wasn't showing it."
Mary Margaret gave Mrs Smith a horrified look and cradled Emma closer to her.
"What kind of child walks around with a broken arm without even complaining?" She asked the question, but she had a terrible feeling she already knew the answer.
"One that's used to being in pain," was Mrs Smith's unhappy reply. After a pause she added, "We need to get her to the hospital. And somebody should call the sheriff."
