A/N: So...this is the real ending. *shocked face* I actually increased the words of this chapter by a full on 1200 words. 5,312 words is a bit lengthy. Apologies ahead of time for the lengthiness. Now, there are some things the same. Like most of the beginning, but most of the middle and the end are totally different. I hope you enjoy it.
Snow laid the phone down, with the promise of an ambulance coming still fresh in her ears. James had tears sliding down his cheeks, that were starting to mingle with the blood that was starting to cake in his beard stubble. She reached out a ginger hand, and touched the still oozing wound on the side of his head. A large whelp was starting to form. At her touch, he cringed as a hiss escaped his lips.
"I want you to get examined when we get to the hospital."
James shook his head, and fought off the impending dizziness that follow. "I have to stay with you and Henry. I have to make sure that Emma is going to be alright."
"Listen to me, James. We need you healthy. Please." Snow's voice was pleading, as she placed a hand over one of his blood soaked ones.
He sighed, before pinching his eyes closed. James yelped out in pain, his hands coming off of Emma's chest as he collapsed to the floor.
"Grandpa!" Henry screamed, tears still rolling down his cheeks.
Snow glanced between her husband who lay unconscious on the floor, and her daughter was literally bleeding to death in front of her. Quickly, she pressed her hands down as hard as she dared, against the still oozing chest wound, while she made eye contact with Henry.
"Go check on James, Henry." Snow said, nodding toward her fallen husband.
Henry's mouth opened to refuse, but quickly shut it. He nodded his head solemnly, before crawling toward James' still body. "Grandpa." Henry called out, his little hands pressed against his shoulder as he shook him. "Please wake up." Henry's voice broke over the words, as he fell forward, laying across James' chest. His body shook, as silent sobs wracked his tiny body.
Snow felt the rush of tears stream down her cheeks, when she heard the faint sounds of sirens. Closing her eyes, as a new batch of tears cascaded down her cheeks, the sound drew closer. The sound of doors opening and closing could be heard, but was quickly replaced with boots thumping against the sidewalk. "Go let them in, Henry." Snow said, urgency in her voice.
He lifted his head from his grandfather's chest, as he swiped a hand against his face. Standing up, Henry took off running toward the front of the building, opening the door open wide. "It's my mom. She's hurt." He cried out. One of the paramedics stayed behind to look Henry over, while the rest rushed in.
"Are you hurt?"
Henry shook his head. "Just help my mom. Please." He begged.
The paramedic nodded, as he wondered in further to find the rest of his crew. One was knelt beside James, checking him over, while the rest were strapping Emma to a gurney.
"Please, let us do our jobs." One of the paramedics said, before wheeling Emma from the room.
They quickly followed suit with James, leaving Henry and Snow to stand in the room alone. Rumpelstiltskin had long since left, and all that remained was two pairs of handcuffs in a whole lot of blood.
Snow used quick strides all the way into the emergency room, her eyes found the gurney that was rolling her, still unconscious, husband toward a curtained off area. She knew that Emma was already being tended to, and because James' injuries were far less severe that he'd be waiting until they had tended to Emma. Until she was, hopefully, stabilized enough, at least.
"Someone...please." Snow called out.
The nurse that was still seated at the front desk rushed out of her seat, and walked forward. "Snow White." She said softly.
Snow merely nodded her head, unable to trust her voice for a moment. She took a deep breath, before clearing her throat. "My daughter and husband were brought in."
The nurse's face paled slightly. Snow didn't recognize her from the enchanted forest. At least not right away. "Your daughter was taken directly to surgery. I have no further information on her condition. Your husband is being seen by the secondary care physician. He will be out to speak with you shortly on your husband's condition. Is there anything else I can do for you?"
Snow sighed, as she picked at her blood soaked clothes. "A couple of things." The nurse merely nodded. "Is Graham still being treated? He was brought in for a concussion and broken ribs."
The nurse stared at Snow blankly for a moment. "I'll check and see. Anything else?" She asked.
"You wouldn't happen to have anything else that I could change into?" Snow motioned toward her blood drenched clothing.
The nurse nodded. "Yes, of course!" She waved Snow closer to the front desk. Reaching underneath of it, the nurse retrieved a pair of blue scrubs. "I'm sorry, this is all we have."
Snow waved her off. "It's perfectly fine. I promise." She looked down at Henry. His eyes were wide and still. Snow was certain that he was experiencing shock, and she did not blame her grandson at all. If she didn't have to take care of him she would be in the same shape. That fact alone was the only thing that was causing her from falling into the deep, depths of despair. "I hate to ask, but could you keep an eye on my grandson while I change?"
The nurse sighed. "That's not a problem." Though her voice reflected the fact that it was. The nurse eyed Henry for a moment before looking back at Snow. "Would you like me have a doctor look at him? He looks like he's in full blown shock."
Snow felt defensive of her grandson, who was obviously in no place to defend himself. "He's fine. Just keep an eye on him, please." Snow uttered, a bit of a bite to her words.
The nurse gave her a curt nod, as Snow wondered off to the area labeled as a bathroom. Entering the large room, she sighed. She did not want anyone else to come in. Snow needed a moment to contain herself, before putting on a false front that she would most likely have to hold up until they had word on how Emma and James were. She locked the large door that led into the large room, and turned toward the mirrors.
She looked absolutely ghastly. Her face was pale, except for her cheeks that were red from all of her unshed tears. Her eyes were red and puffy from holding in the overwhelming amount of emotion that wanted to pour out of her. Then there was her blood stained hands that trailed down her blood stained clothing. Stripping the clothes from her body, Snow grabbed them from the floor and tossed them into the trash bin. Her stomach tumbled uncomfortably, but she fought back the urge to vomit, as she pulled the scrub pants on followed by the shirt.
Looking back into the mirror, Snow sighed. The way the light glinted off of the sky blue scrub clothing set, made her face appear even more pale than it already was. Taking a deep breath, Snow closed her eyes for a moment trying to gain composure over her growing emotions.
Turning the faucet on full blast, she let the water get as hot as she was certain she could stand, before adding just a hint of cold water to keep it at the current temperature. She shoved her hands under the tap, and bit back a hiss at the hotness of the water burning her skin. Layering her red stained hands with soap, she lathered up her hands before shoving them back under the scolding water. She scrubbed at her hands, digging her fingernails into the skin, making sure that every single drop of blood was removed from her skin. When she was certain that her hands were near bleeding stage, she pulled them back and turned off the water. She towel dried them, hissing at the stinging, burning sensation in her hands.
Snow gripped the edge of one of the sinks as a pain coursed through her chest. It was so strong that she thought that it would surely knock her off of her feet. Tears welled in her eyes, and Snow knew that she would no longer be able to keep them at bay. Taking a single, shaky breath, she let the flood gates open wide, as tears splashed against the ceramic sink. A silent sob shook her body, as her arms wobbled and nearly gave out under the brunt of her grief.
She let her emotional breakdown continue for a few moments until she was able to gain control over herself enough to cut off the tears, and keep her shaking to a minimum. Looking in the mirror again, she sighed. She wiped under her eyes, hoped that Henry wouldn't see that she had broken down. Patting down her stiff clothing, Snow took a deep breath before exiting the bathroom and rejoining her grandson.
Graham was sitting next to Henry, holding his hand tightly. Henry's shoulders were shaking, and Snow knew that Henry was finally allowing himself to breakdown, and release his own grief. Silently, Snow sat down beside him, and grabbed his other hand.
His head turned toward her. His eyes were still wide, now clouded by unshed tears. "My mom-" He hiccuped. "She's—gonna—be.." He couldn't finish his thought as another sob brought through, causing his small body to shake uncontrollably.
Snow removed her hand from his, and rubbed his back soothingly, as tears started to reappear in her eyes. Out of the corner of her bleary eye, Snow saw movement heading their direction. She looked up to see a doctor head toward them. Looking back at Graham, she motioned with her head in the direction of the doctor. He merely nodded, as Snow stood up to talk with the doctor.
"Are you here for James-"
"Yes." Snow cut him off before he could finish.
He merely shook his head. "Our initial fear was the severity of James' head injury." Snow nodded, the look on the doctor's face caused her pause though. "After a MRI, we've been able to locate a pretty severe brain bleed and some swelling. We need to go in to fix the bleed and reduce the swelling."
Snow just stared at the doctor for a moment. "Well, what are you waiting for?"
"We need the next of kin's permission. That would be you."
Snow blinked a couple of times, before answering. "Yes. Do whatever you have to."
The doctor nodded. "I must inform you that there could be complications. This is brain surgery, and it could cause many problems from memory loss to coma and perhaps even death. Are you sure?" The doctor asked, the clipboard held firmly in his hands.
Snow sighed. She wasn't going to let the doctor scare her. Of course there could be complications, but what would happen if they did nothing? He would die. As sad as it was, Snow knew that she'd rather have James with no memory, than dead. "Yes. I'm sure."
The doctor thrust the clipboard at her. "I need you to sign." Snow nodded, as she grabbed the pen he handed her and scribbled down her name. The doctor nodded as he looked it over. "Someone will keep you informed, and I will come out to talk to you shortly after the surgery is completed."
Snow nodded as a couple of tears slipped down her cheeks. Her entire would was falling apart, and her vision blurred as she watched the doctor walk away. Her husband had a head injury that was apparently so severe he needed surgery. It didn't make sense, he had been awake. He had been conscious. How could his head injury be so bad, and yet he was able to help try to save his daughter.
"Snow." Her name came out softly, merely a whisper.
Turning around, Snow thrust her arms around Graham's neck as tears cascaded down her cheeks. She knew she was upsetting Henry and yet she could do nothing to stop it. The floodgates had opened, and Snow wasn't entirely sure that she could get them to stop again.
"He'll pull through, Snow. Prince James is a fighter. He never gave up on you and you cannot give up on him." Snow knew that Graham's words were meant to be comforting, but in that moment all Snow felt was pain. Intense, crippling pain.
Snow sat with Henry, his hand clasped tightly in hers. Tears were rolling, unchecked, down his cheeks. Graham was pacing the floor in front of her, as August sighed loudly, his head lulled to the side as his eyes started to droop close. August had rushed into the emergency room only a half hour earlier. He claimed that he had been waiting in our apartment for Emma to return, as she had instructed. He went onto to explain that when a couple of hours passed and no one had returned that he figured things had gone bad with retrieving Henry and myself. He didn't take the news of Emma's current predicament very well, but had settled down when Graham had glared at him.
Snow noticed that Graham's hands were bawled into tight fists at his sides. His strides were quick. Two up and two back. It was a rhythmic motion, and if it helped keep him calm then Snow was willing to allow him to continue doing it. Even if it was driving her crazy. Suddenly though, Graham stopped and turned abruptly.
"I knew I should have made her take me with her. I could have stopped this from happening." Tears slowly started to roll down his cheeks, as he collapsed in the empty chair next to Snow. "I love her so much. We were pulled apart for so long." He gasped as a sob tore through him. He cradled an arm against his ribs. "I just..." He was out of words. There was nothing else to say.
"Snow." A voice called out. She stood up, and engulfed Ruby in a hug, as tears welled in her eyes. "They'll pull through. They're both stubborn, remember that." Snow pulled back from embracing Ruby, and looked at her.
Snow nodded, knowing she couldn't break down in front of Henry. Not when she had only recently calmed his sobs. She also knew that she couldn't stop the tears that were pooling in her eyes. Ruby noticed the look, and started to pull her further from the group. "I'm taking Snow to get some coffee. Graham, will you look after Henry until we return?" Graham simply nodded, as he dried the tears in his eyes. Ruby watched as he scooted over to occupy the chair that Snow had only recently vacated. "Would anyone else like some coffee?" Graham and August both nodded. "We'll be back soon."
Snow pulled away from Ruby for a moment, and looked at Graham. "Please come get me if the doctor returns." Graham again gave a slight nod. "I'll be back soon, Henry." He nodded softly, as he made an attempt at wiping away the excess amount of tears in his eyes.
Ruby placed her hand on Snow's arm, just above her elbow, and started to lead her away from the group she had been sitting with. Once they were a fair enough distance away, Ruby turned toward Snow. A silent sob broke through, as an agonizing ache overtook her chest. "I—cannot—lose-them." Snow said through broken sobs.
Ruby's heart clenched at her friends breakdown. Hugging Snow against her chest, she led them to an empty bench behind them. Sitting them both down, safely, Ruby started to rub soothing circles on Snow's back. Her body jerked, as her breathing hitched with each new sob that tore through her body. After a few minutes, her sobs started to subside and she was left with breathtaking hiccups.
"I'm sorry." Snow finally said, as she brushed her fingers under her eyes to wipe away the excess tears that had pooled there.
"For what? Breaking down? Don't be." Ruby spoke softly. "I will always be a shoulder you can cry on. I am always there for you. Remember that, please, Snow."
Snow nodded. A sigh sounded, before she stood up. "Let's go get that coffee before they start to wonder where we went." Ruby nodded, as she stood up to follow her friend.
It had been nearly an hour since Snow had returned to the waiting area, and all of the waiting was starting to take it's toll on everyone that was sitting there. Ruby was asleep, her head lulled to the side, leaning against Snow's shoulder. Henry was curled up on the chair, his eyes continued to droop close, but he fought against sleep. Snow wasn't sure if it was because he needed to know about Emma or because he was afraid of the waiting nightmares. His head was leaning against Graham, and Snow could tell that the added pressure against his side was causing him pain, but Graham refused to ask Henry to move. August had left, making Snow promise to call him the instant that she knew anything. He promised to return first thing in the morning with fresh clothing, food, and coffee for everyone.
The sound of footsteps scuffling against the linoleum floor, caused Snow to jerk her head. The action had a domino effect, as Henry sat up peering in the same direction, which caused Graham's head to seek out the same information that the others were, and Ruby rubbed at her tired eyes as she too sat up. Snow remembered the doctor, from talking to him about James earlier. She stood up and watched as everyone watched her approach the doctor.
The solemn look on his face made her heart drop into her stomach. "I wish I had better news." Snow drew her bottom lip in and started to chew on it. Her eyes never left the doctors. The words were barely sinking in. "The bleeding was worse than what we anticipated. We did everything we could." Her eyes widen slightly. "He's alive." He quickly restated. "There is just a much higher chance that the bleeding did damage. Brain injuries are so unpredictable. He could have no side effects or-"
Snow's head snapped up. "Or? What, he could be in another coma? Die? What?" She vaguely knew that her voice was raising but she didn't care. This was her husband, and this doctor was being less than informative.
"All possibilities, along with memory loss. For now, we have him in a medically induced coma to help his brain heal. It will help ease the swelling and will hopefully stop any further brain bleeding. I am so sorry. All we can do now is sit back and wait."
Sighing, Snow nodded mechanically. "Can I see him?"
The doctor sighed, running a hand through his hair. "For a short time, yes. He's currently in the ICU, and he will remain there until we take him off the medication that is keeping him in a coma."
Snow swallowed against the lump in her throat. "That's when we'll find out if he's..." She couldn't finish that thought. The thought that James would be anything less than his usual self made her heart constrict painfully.
"Yes, ma'am. If you follow me, I'll show you to his room."
Snow nodded, before turning back to her audience. She knew that there were tears in her eyes, but in that moment she couldn't find it in herself to be strong. "I'll be right back." She said, her voice thick with unshed tears. They all nodded, as Snow carefully followed the doctor, disappearing from their view quickly.
Everyone had practically dosed off again by the time that Snow had returned. Sighing, she sat down in the same seat she had occupied before. It seemed as if that horrible day would never end or at the very least, that they would never find out Emma's condition. As soon as the thought entered her mind, the sound of a throat clearing garnered her attention. Being as quiet as she could stand, Snow whipped her head around and saw Dr. Whale standing just a few feet behind her.
Turning back to the group of people sitting with her, Snow realized that Graham was the only one who had awaken. Peeling himself from Henry's tight grasp without waking him up, seemed an impossible feat, but Graham managed to pull it off. Both of them stood up and walked quietly toward Dr. Whale.
"Do you want me to be completely honest with you?" Both of them nodded, as Dr. Whale looked at the chart in his hands for a moment. He sighed. "The injury that Emma was brought in with is fatal about ninety to ninety-five percent of the time. With the shape that Emma was in when she was brought in, made her chances of survival even worse. We had to rush her immediately to the OR to stop the bleeding if we wanted any chance to save her." He sighed, as he scratched at his head. "Now, Snow. You know that Emma had stopped breathing for a while before the paramedics arrived on scene." Snow nodded. "Well, she coded on the operating table, twice. We were able to revive her on both occasions."
Graham was getting impatient. "Get on with it, please."
Dr. Whale nodded. "She made it through the surgery, but there will likely be complications. What those might be, could be any variety of things. Emma had been without oxygen for a good long while before the paramedics were able to get her breathing again. Adding on top of that, her heart stopping twice-" He let his sentence fall off. "The most important thing is that she is indeed alive. We are going to keep her in a medically induced coma for a couple of days to allow her to heal some. It will take stress off of her heart, and could stop any permanent damage. After those days have passed we will allow her to wake up. Once she does, we will be able to find out if any complications will arise. Most common complications would be with her heart and possible memory loss from the lack of oxygen."
Snow and Graham sighed in relief at the what the doctor said. Yeah it was bad, but it could have been so much worse, like the doctor had said. She was alive. "Can we see her?"
"Not at this moment, I'm afraid. I will allow her visitor's first thing in the morning though."
Snow glared at Dr. Whale, before sighing. At least her daughter was alive. Snow watched as Dr. Whale disappeared before throwing her arms around Graham and hugging him tightly. "She's alive. That's most important." She could feel Graham nodding his head. Pulling back slightly, Snow pressed a kiss against his cheek.
Graham blushed slightly, before touching his cheek. "What's that for?" His eyebrow quirked.
"I never properly thanked you for saving my life."
Graham smiled softly. "No thanks needed." They walked back to their seat, and Graham pulled the still sleeping Henry into his lap, and smiled as the young boy curled against his chest. Snow realized in that moment that she had never seen Graham, as the town sheriff or the huntsman, so happy.
For the five people that were waiting—as patiently as they could—for the two most important people in their lives to wake up, the two days that they were both in their medically induced coma felt like an eternity. Graham spent much of his two days sitting vigil at Emma's bedside. Her hand clutched tightly in his. Snow tried to evenly alternate her time between James and Emma's rooms. Occasionally when Snow would visit Emma, Graham would leave her alone with Emma. More often than not though, Snow would ask him to stay. It was more comfortable for her to sit there, looking at her pale daughter's face, with the man that loved Emma with all his heart.
Henry spent time with both Snow and Graham. Generally visiting with his grandpa James when Snow did, and then would saddled himself next to Graham in Emma's room. It warmed Snow's heart to see how close the two had gotten because of this incredible tragedy. Graham would also keep his arm around Henry's shoulders, and when Henry would get tired, Graham would pull Henry's chair closer, letting the young body curl into his side. Snow never missed the grimace that would cross Graham's face when Henry would first curl up next to him, but Graham just smiled brightly, his arm slung around Henry's small body.
Ruby visited at least twice a day, smiling and laughing with Graham, and consoling Snow who was still having some issues gripping just how much her life would change because of this incident. August had only visited once a day. As much as Graham hated it, and the scowl written deeply on his features spoke to just how much he hated it, Graham had given August a half an hour alone with Emma.
It broke Snow's heart, that she couldn't be with both James and Emma when they were taken off the medication keeping them unconscious. Every half hour, Snow would flutter into Emma's room to check on her progress before returning to James' room. After four hours, they were all beginning to get antsy. Fear was seeping back in, but Doctor Whale had simply explained that both of there injuries were rather severe and that it might actually take a day or two once the medication was fully out of their systems before they woke up. It was the undercurrent to his voice that told them what he wouldn't. If they woke up. It was something that both Snow and Graham had thought about, but neither of them had ever spoke about. Fearful that saying the words would make it true, and by pretending that it wasn't an option would make both of their loved ones wake up, and be fine.
Graham was with Emma when she started to wake up. It was only little things at first. A flutter of her fingers, and moan here or there. After twenty minutes her eyes started to flutter as her fingers started to twitch slightly. Henry and Graham sat on the edge of their seats, their eyes glued to Emma's face. They were startled when her eyes flashed open. Emma looked around the room just as Snow fluttered back into the room. A foggy gaze caught each of their faces. They waited with baited breath for the knowing smile to cross her lips, and her to put their anxiety to rest, but it never came. Instead, a look of confusion lit up her face as her heart monitor started to beat loudly. Doctor Whale rushed inside, a look of worry written on his face.
"You're going to have to wait outside." He ordered, as the three of them, with their heads hanging stood up and walked slowly out of the room. The door was instantly shut behind them.
Dejectedly, Graham slumped into a chair in the hall, as the other two followed suit. Frowns were etched on all three of their faces, as Henry poked Graham's shoulder. He turned his attention to the young boy. "Something is wrong with my mom, isn't there?"
The utter sadness on Henry's face broke Graham's heart. All he wanted to do was reassure the boy that his mother would be perfectly fine, but Graham couldn't lie to him. "I honestly don't know, Henry. I hope so."
Henry nodded, as he curled into Graham's side again. Snow sighed, as she swiped a hand under her now wet cheeks. She had seen her daughter's beautiful blue eyes, but had noticed that there wasn't one bit of recollection in them.
The door opened after about ten minutes, and Doctor Whale stepped out. All three of them stood up, and the sadness etched on the doctor's features started to confirm their worst fears. "We need to run some tests, but it appears that Emma is experiencing a bit of amnesia. She's very confused and it's making her heart rate stay higher than I really want it to. If her heart rate doesn't go back down to a more comfortable zone, I will be forced to put her back into a medically induced coma until her body has had time to heal. I would really prefer she have no visitors until after we run some tests and get her heart rate under control."
With that, he turned and walked away. With tears in her eyes, Snow turned to Graham. "That man really needs to work on his bedside manor."
Graham nodded, before putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. Together, they all walked away from Emma's room. "Do you mind if I sit with you—in James' room?"
Snow offered a watery smile. "Of course, not."
It was another two days of pacing, tears, and testing before they were informed that Emma's heart rate had returned to a comfortable level and that there seemed to be no lasting damage done to her heart. Doctor Whale informed them that she would have to see a specialist for a while until they could be certain that no heart problems would develop after time. He went on to explain that her amnesia was likely caused by the lack of oxygen to her brain for a prolonged time. He was nearly certain, though he did explain that he wasn't a neurologist, that her amnesia wasn't permanent.
However, after he finished explaining all of that, he finished by telling them that he was prohibiting visitors for the next few days to keep her heart rate under control, before he started letting people in to see her. At which point, he would only allow one visitor at a time as to not overwhelm her.
Not long after their visit with Doctor Whale, they were visited by James' doctor. The solemn look on his face, broke Snow's heart. She couldn't take anymore bad news.
"We ran a few tests on James. He should have made an attempt to wake up by now, and he hasn't." Snow nodded, even if she wanted to tell him to get to the point because she was sick of all the beating around the bush. "The swelling on his brain has returned, and we're not entirely sure why. It could just be trauma from the medication we had him on when we were keeping him unconscious, or he could have another brain bleed."
Graham put a hand on her shoulder. "Could you please just get to the point. Today hasn't exactly been the best."
The doctor nodded. "As of right now, I am sorry to inform you that it appears that James has slipped into a coma."
The world tilted on it's axis and started to spin. If Graham hadn't been holding onto, Snow was fairly certain she would have collapsed right then and there. All she could think in that moment was that she was glad that they had Ruby watch Henry, because he wouldn't have taken either news well.
A/N: Sequel plans are still in order, I just need a bit of time to gather my thoughts on what I want from this. I can promise you lots of angst and some fluff-and drama. Just what I love to write.