Chapter 14
Stepping out of the cab, Kathryn entered the dark clinic with a key Dr. Mills had given her in case she ever needed to get away. The small waiting room was dark and slightly eerie, which reminded her to turn and lock the door behind her.
She glanced around the space and then down at the stained and tattered carpet. Her eyes traveled to the rubber base trim that was now peeling away from the walls. She shook her head slowly. Dr. Mills was big-hearted and did so much for those who were less fortunate. Helping those without insurance or money was his specialty and in turn, he was unable to remodel or even spruce up the place.
She continued down the dimly lit hallway. The light from Dr. Mills' office illuminated the hallway from the door, "Dr. Mills?"
There was no answer, so she continued on. As she rounded the corner, she could see another light coming out from under the morgue door. Kathryn carefully pushed the door open and peered inside.
Dr. Mills and Emma were across the room picking something up off the floor, "Is everything alright?"
Emma bolted upright, her eyes wide, as she held her chest, "Holy crap, where did you come from?"
Kathryn didn't answer as Dr. Mills remained on his hands and knees picking up small pieces of something. Before she could ask, the younger blonde said, "I broke a glass." The shameful look on the younger woman's face didn't go unnoticed and Kathryn immediately knew Emma must have thrown it.
"Are you hurt?" She asked the other woman scanning Emma's arms and hands for cuts.
"No, she's fine, I've already checked her." The doctor said standing and moving over to the wastebasket as he let the small shards of glass fall inside.
Kathryn feared for a moment that the younger woman must have begun drinking once Regina had left.
"I'm so sorry, Dr. Mills. I'll buy you another glass." The blonde said in a sincere tone.
"Emma, I told you, it was just a glass. Don't worry about it." He said gently.
"I know but I feel bad, I shouldn't have thrown it." She quickly looked over at the other blonde, "How's Regina?"
"She'll be okay. The real question is, how are you doing?" She smiled softly.
"Why don't you girls go get some coffee and chat? I'll finish up here." He said picking up a broom that leaned against the metal and concrete table in the center of the room.
Emma turned to look at him, "I made the mess, the least I can do is clean up."
The old man reached out and squeezed the younger woman's arm and chuckled, "Go with Kathryn. I'm almost finished."
Emma nodded and followed the older woman out and down to the break room. Kathryn went straight for the coffee pot, pulling the filter holder out and putting a new one in its place. She picked up the small coffee can and spoon out a couple of spoons to fill the filter, "You didn't answer my question."
She didn't look at the other woman, but she could feel the nervous vibes radiating off of her, "I guess she told you?"
Kathryn took the glass pot over to the faucet and filled it with water, "What do you think? She's my best friend."
Emma sighed as Kathryn poured the water carefully into the reservoir and then put the pot back into place flicking the power switch on and turned around. She could see the other woman fidgeting with her hand and chewing relentlessly at the inside of her cheek, "I'm not mad at you, neither is Regina. She's just a bit confused right now."
"Maybe I should just go. I mean I'm just causing problems for everyone..." Kathryn was about to protest when the other woman continued,, "August told me to stay away from her. Maybe I should've listened."
Kathryn rolled her eyes slightly, "Emma, sit down."
The younger woman seemed to snap out of whatever thoughts she was having and did as she was told. The coffee pot was hissing as it brewed the strong yet comforting aroma of Arabian blend that's filled her nostrils.
"Look, you didn't do anything wrong. You just have to give Regina some time to work through her feelings." The coffee pot had stopped hissing and sputtering so she reached over to the stack of styrofoam cups and grabbed two. After filling them she turned passing one cup to the younger woman and then taking a seat in the chair across from her.
"I didn't mean to do it. I just couldn't help it," She could see Emma beating herself up over it.
Kathryn thought the image of this woman so upset with herself for doing such a simple act was adorable. She found herself wishing she had been in her best friend's shoes for a moment, but she quickly pushed the thought away.
Before the older woman could say something encouraging, the younger blonde said, "She probably hates me now. She thinks I only want one thing and I'm probably using her son to get it."
"Are you?" Kathryn asked nonchalantly.
"What? No." Emma responded.
"You do have a reputation for the number of women you've had in your bed." The older woman said as she took a sip of the dark and slightly strong liquid. She was more of a tea drinker, but this time caffeine would do her good, she thought.
The younger woman seemed annoyed, "I'm well aware of my reputation." She ran a hand through her wavy hair and let out another sigh, "I wouldn't do that to her, and I really do like Henry. I was friends with him before I even knew his mother." She paused for a moment, but by the look in her eye, Kathryn knew she had more to say, so she remained quiet, "Regina's different."
The older blonde glanced into the younger woman's eyes to gauge her sincerity, satisfied, she asked, "Are you saying you'd want more with her?"
Another struggle flashed through the emerald orbs before she answered, "I think so."
Kathryn raised an eyebrow, "You think so? What does that mean?"
"I don't know okay!? I like her, a lot, actually, but I haven't been in a relationship since I was in high school. I wouldn't even know where to begin." The younger woman confessed.
Kathryn understood what the other woman said and simply nodded her head. The girl had been honest and that was all she could hope for at this time. She could also see that the girl had a genuine interest in her friend and couldn't help thinking that maybe Emma and Regina are just what each other needed. She watched as the younger blonde sipped her coffee in silence.
"So, where do you stay?" Kathryn asked.
The younger blonde looked up, "At the club."
"You sleep at the club?" She asked somewhat appalled at the idea.
Emma blushed, "Well yeah, I sleep on the couch."
Kathryn set her cup down with eyes wide, "You sleep on a couch every night?"
"Ummm, yeah. It's no big deal. I mean I have pretty much everything I need, and I've come to realize it beats wasting money on hotel rooms." She tried to justify her living arrangement.
"That's insane. You can't live in the same space you work, let alone sleep on a couch. You need to be able to relax after work." Kathryn explained as if the other woman might not know this.
"I could always go sleep in the surveillance room," The blonde joked.
The older blonde wasn't amused. She glanced down at the watch on her wrist and noticed it was already after 1 AM. "Alright, let's go," she said standing up, tossing her nearly empty Styrofoam cup into the trash can.
Confusion washed over the younger woman's face, "Go where?"
"We're going to get your stuff from the club and then I'm taking you to my apartment." She saw the confusion on the other woman's face change to something like panic, "I didn't mean like that. I've been staying with Regina and probably will continue to for a while. My apartment is just sitting there empty. It would actually make me feel safer knowing someone is watching over my place."
Emma seemed to be thinking the idea over, "How far is it from the club?"
Kathryn thought on it a second then answered, "Not far. No more than a mile, I guess."
The younger blonde nodded her head and smiled slightly, "Okay, if you're sure."
Of course, Kathryn was sure. Doing this would also help her to keep an eye on the girl to an extent. She was fairly confident that the blonde was legit and had stopped whore dogging around, but this would also give her some insight on who this woman was on a different level.
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The club was slow on Sundays, which was a plus in her book. The massive amounts of people she had to bump passed to move about the place could be annoying. Killian didn't work on Sundays nor did Tinker Belle, so she could just imagine what the two of them were up to.
She was a little apprehensive about taking Kathryn up on her offer, but sleeping in a real bed sounds too good to pass up. In the back of her mind, she wondered if she could really trust this woman. She couldn't remember being this paranoid before coming back to this town, but now she felt like she had to watch her back at every turn.
Kathryn had informed her she had taken a cab to the clinic, so they rode together. Emma listened to the older blonde talk about her building. She told her which neighbors to watch out for, which ones were friendly and which were what she called 'weird'. The younger woman had laughed and wondered how someone came to know so much about the people in their building.
They pulled up to the alley and they could hear the music pulsating through the walls. Sobriety has brought a great many things to light for Emma. Once, those same thumping rhythms excited her. It would get her pumped up for the evening ahead and give a rush of confidence she no longer felt.
Emma killed the engine and looked over at the other woman who was now silent, "It's okay if you want to wait in the car." The younger woman didn't want to make Kathryn uncomfortable considering what happened the last time she came here. "I just have a couple of things to grab and I'll be back."
Kathryn smiled, "I'm fine, let's go."
Before the blonde could say another word, the older woman stepped out of the car. Emma chuckled lightly to herself and followed the other woman up to the back door. Luckily, the rain had stopped as they waited for Anton or whoever was on duty to open the door.
There was an awkward moment of silence that passed and Emma felt the need to speak, "I hope you know I wouldn't have let that happen to you if I had known."
Kathryn smiled softly but didn't make eye contact, "It's not your fault."
Emma wanted to apologize more or say something to help ease her own guilt, but the large door opened with a loud clanking sound, causing the younger woman to jump, "Shit." She placed her hand over her heart, "Is someone trying to give me a heart attack tonight?"
As she pulled the door open to walk in, she was greeted by Killian, "I thought you were off tonight?"
"Yeah, well, apparently your father thought tonight was the perfect night to want VIP treatment." Killian sneered.
Emma raised an eyebrow as she followed the man further inside, Kathryn on her heels, "Why didn't he call me?"
"He did, and so did I, like a dozen times, love." He said stopping as he glared at the younger blonde.
"No, you didn't…" She patted the pockets of her slacks, "Oh shit, I must have left it in the car the whole time."
"Well, I will warn you now, he is not in the best of moods and he, along with your brother, his fiancé and a very pissed off Robin Locksley are waiting for you in your office," Killian said.
Emma's face dropped, "Fuck my life. What do they want?"
Killian shrugged his shoulders, "Got me love, but I do wish you the best of luck."
There was no way Emma would take Kathryn upstairs. She didn't want her new found friend to see the way her father treated her. Nor did she want to chance her father or Robin saying something inappropriate about Kathryn or the past experience the woman had had there.
"Em, what the hell?" Anton asked throwing his hand up dramatically as he made his way from the surveillance room. "I've been trying to call you." His eyes widened when he saw Kathryn standing there.
"I know, I know. I forgot it in the car." Emma said ignoring the shocked look the man was giving her for bringing the older woman there with her.
He grabbed her by the elbow and quickly pulled her down the hallway leaving Killian and Kathryn watching curiously. Once he thought they were out of earshot he whispered, "What the hell is she doing here? Your father is going to blow a head gasket if he sees her."
"I didn't know he was here. She is going to let me crash at her place for a while." She tried to explain.
"Really?" The look on his face was disbelief and she instantly knew what he meant.
"No, not like that. She's staying at Regina's while she deals with…" She paused searching for the right word, "Stuff and she's going to let me stay at her place so I don't have to live out of a suitcase here." Emma shook her head, "Does everyone have that little faith in me?"
The big man only raised an eyebrow, "You do realize you've only been here a week right? A lot has happened since your arrival to make everyone worry."
The blonde sighed silently agreeing with the man, "Look, you can trust me." She waited, searching the man's face.
He nodded his head, "I do Em. Just be careful. A lot has changed since you've been gone, and not for the better."
"I'm trying," was the only answer she could give him without lying. "Will you please keep her with you until I get back from this stupid meeting? She's dealing with things considerably well, but I don't want her to get overwhelmed being here."
The man nodded, "Good luck."
Emma returned to where Kathryn stood, "I'm sure you remember Anton. He's going to take care of you until I get back."
"Take care of me?" She asked in fright.
"He's a good friend, you can trust him. Just stay with him until I get back." Emma said squeezing the other woman's arm gently as she headed for the office.
As her feet echoed on the metal staircase with each step she took, her palms started sweating. She had no reason to be nervous. This was some stupid meeting her father conjured up to try and keep tighter chains on her.
She let out a shaky breath when her hand came to rest on the door handle. Emma could hear voices talking on the other side. She pushed the door open and stepped in. All conversation stopped and everyone's eyes were on her.
"It's about time." He father glares at her from his place on the white sofa.
She was trying hard to act nonchalant, but it was a daunting task, "Father? You wanted to see me?"
"Where the hell have you been? You were supposed to be here hours ago." He snapped.
"I didn't realize I was on a schedule." She said sarcastically. So much for being nonchalant.
"You should always be here, or at least available if you are needed." He stood up and walked over to the large glass window facing the bar and dance floor.
She glanced at her brother who looked at her sympathetically. She knew he must have tried to warn her. Her eyes moved to Zelena who kept her eyes on the ground, and then there was Robin. His mouth turned up with his usual smirk. Emma had to look away from him quickly before she was tempted to say something less than nice.
"I'm here now. What's all this about?" She asked. She tried to calm the sinking feeling in her stomach, but it continued to churn.
"I thought I told you that once the situation from last week had been dealt with, that your involvement with Regina Locksley was to stop?" The man said with his back still to her.
Emma's eyes immediately cut to Robin. His lips held their smirk, but his eyes were shooting daggers in her direction.
"Robin here wants his family back. You are interfering with that." David said.
Emma snorted, "Yeah, okay." She looked back at Robin, "Maybe you should have thought of that the first time around."
August slowly closed his eyes. She knew he was disappointed but she couldn't help it. Robin Locksley did not own this town or the people living in it and she would never allow him to think she did.
Her father whipped around, "If you need a body to satisfy your disgusting habits, then I shall find you some whore. If, of course, that will get you to stop running around like a bitch in heat."
Emma bit down on the inside of her cheek hard enough to taste the irony blood. She wanted to laugh hysterically and cry at the same time. She wanted to defend the brunette more than anything in the world but realized it would do her no good right now.
"Stay away from Regina Locksley." Her father said.
"You can't make me." Emma blurted out before she could stop herself.
"Emma." Her brother warned.
"Everyone, leave us." Her father ordered.
Robin stood, as did Zelena and her brother and they walked out the door. August stopped to give an apologetic smile as he passed.
Her father held his hands clasped behind his back as he walked closer to her. Without warning, a hand struck her cheek with enough force to knock her several steps backward.
She grabbed her face as he took another step towards her, "I am getting sick of your disrespectful mouth. You have been disobedient since you arrived in my town and I will not have it. You are starting to sound like your brother more and more and if I have to beat it out of you I will."
Emma was still a bit shocked by the blow, but she knew he was referring to Will. Before she regained her bearings, another hard slap landed on her cheek her causing her to fall back onto the couch.
"That one is for missing the vendor shipment this evening." He ran his fingers through his hair and straightened his tie as he moved back to the large window, clasping his hands behind his back once more.
"What vendor shipment? I just signed for a delivery last night." She said wiping the small droplet of blood from the corner of her mouth. Emma was fighting the angry tears that threaten to fall. If she cried in front of this man at this moment, she would hate herself.
"When you signed those vendor contracts, you gave your word that you would be present for all shipments. You missed the one at midnight." He said.
He was a trusting man, she thought to herself. His back to her, she could easily kill him if she wanted. She shook the thought from her mind, what good would that do? "Anton was here, he could have signed for it."
"NO!" Her father's voice echoed through the large office. "You are to sign for all shipments."
She didn't understand. It made absolutely no sense to her. She wiped the corner of her mouth again and stood up. Her head was spinning and her stomach now queasy from all of the emotions that were rushing through her.
"As for Regina Locksley, she is off limits. Stay. Away." He said enunciating his words slowly. With that, he turned and walked out.
Emma held her face and slowly walked over to the glass in time to see the group walking towards the exit. Her brother turned to look up at her with concern before following close behind the others.
Within seconds, Kathryn was rushing into the office, "Oh my God, Emma, are you okay?"
Anton must have taken the blonde with him to the surveillance room. She glanced up at the camera above her desk and closed her eyes. She wanted to respond, but words failed her.
The older blonde walked over to her with eyes full of worry and pity, "That son of a bitch. He can't put his hands on you like that, it's assault."
Emma opened her eyes, "Yes, he can." A tear slipped down her red and swollen cheek, "I should have never come back here."
Kathryn was quick to put her arms around the girl and as much as Emma hated people seeing her weak and vulnerable, she needed a friend. She hugged the older woman back and let her tears fall.
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"Get a move on, Henry. I don't want you to be late on your first day back." Regina called up from the bottom of the staircase.
She hurried back into the kitchen where she had been preparing the boy's Eggo waffles. She thought it was strange that she hadn't heard her friend return last night and she had yet to come downstairs. Maybe she had been out later then she thought and needed a few extra hours.
Regina heard a car pull into the driveway as she smeared butter onto the circular waffle. She glanced at the clock on the microwave. Who could be coming over at 7:30 in the morning? She moved so that she could see out the large bay style window that overlooked the driveway.
For a second, her heart sped up at the sight of the yellow BMW. She was not ready to see the young blonde just yet. However, she watched Kathryn climb out of the driver's seat and head for the front door. Why was Kathryn driving Emma's car?
She moved back to the island to finish preparing her son's breakfast as she heard the other woman enter the house and close the door behind her. She would just play it cool and let her friend explain the situation.
As soon as Kathryn appeared in the doorway she sneered, "You and Miss Nolan had fun?"
The older blonde shook her head but managed a smile, "Calm down, killer. Emma took a cab to the club this morning and told me to take her car."
"And where were you driving her car from?" Regina's cheeks burned and she found herself angry with her friend.
"For someone who has no interest in Emma, you sure are acting jealous," Kathryn said crossing her arms over her chest.
"I am not jealous." She replied but the blonde ignored her.
"Anyways. When I got to the clinic last night, she had broken a glass." Kathryn said as she moved closer to the island stool.
"What? Is she okay," Regina asked in a panicked tone?
The blonde put her hand up, "She's fine. I found out she was sleeping in the office at Will Power, so I offered her my apartment since I'm staying here."
"Okay, but then why are you just getting here?" Regina asked pouring syrup over the waffles and pushing the plate over to where her son will sit.
"I'm getting to it. Anyway, we had to go back to the club so she could grab her clothes and her father was there. Things got a little crazy, and then we drove over to my apartment." The blonde explained.
"Crazy? What got crazy?" Regina asked turning to the cabinets behind her to pour two cups of coffee.
"Oh, the usual for her I suppose. Her father was ordering her to stop seeing you and then something about vendor shipments and he hit her. Twice." Kathryn was looking at Regina when she spun around.
"David Nolan hit Emma?" The question was more to herself but the shock was evident in her voice.
"Yeah, he hit her pretty hard. After they had left…" The blonde started but was cut off.
"They?" Regina passed one cup to her friend and held the other in her hand.
"There was some red-headed woman that the pirate looking guy said was Emma's brother's fiancé or something like that. Her father and of course, Robin were there." She spits out the douche bag's name at the end.
Regina didn't respond to the list of names, instead, she asked, "Is she okay?"
"She was better but she was just going to sleep when I left a little while ago." The blonde said taking a sip of coffee.
The brunette narrowed her eyes at her friend. Surely her friend hadn't moved in on her turf. Now her brain was battling with itself. When did Emma become her turf or her anything for that matter?
"Relax, Regina. Nothing happened. We only talked. Well, we talked a little, most of the time I was trying to talk her down from leaving to murder her father and your soon-to-be ex." Kathryn said with a soft smile.
"Who wants to kill my dad?" Henry asked walking into the kitchen.
"Umm. No one honey." Regina said pointing to the plate of now cold waffles, "Hurry up and eat so we can go."
"You were talking about Emma, weren't you?" He asked looking at his Aunt as he climbed up on the stool next to her.
The brunette watched her friend fidget, "Well… It was just a figure of speech."
He picked up a very large chunk of waffle and took a bite, "No, Emma probably does want to kill him." Syrup dripped down his chin.
Regina grabbed a paper towel and wiped his face, "Don't talk with your mouth full, and don't worry about anyone killing your father, dear."
He shrugged his shoulders, "I'm not, and he most likely deserves it."
His tone was icy and sent a chill to the back of the brunette's neck. When had her son become so desensitized? Shouldn't all children have a natural instinct to want to protect their parents? She stared hard at him as she watched him eat, chewing her bottom lip. She made a mental note to make an appointment with Archie. Henry needed to speak to someone before she had the next Jeffrey Dahmer on her hands.
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Emma paced the empty apartment living room. The design was sleek and modern. There was little warmth to the place that would make it feel like a home, at least to her. It reminded her of the high-rise apartment she had grown up in. She was well aware that Kathryn was nothing like her father, but being a bachelorette with money, her apartment reflected it.
The blonde's face was still sore and all she could think of was bashing her father's head in for putting his hands on her. He had hit her before. As a matter of fact, he had hit her the last time she was in his house. What the hell gave him the right to even think he could put his hands on her? Of course, he only did it because his threats had not worked. Besides, he should have remembered that Emma did what Emma wanted, not what he wanted.
The more she pictured the smirk on Robin's face the more she could imagine punching him in the nose. Robin and her father were made for each other. Of course, this only brought another wave of anger. How could Regina have married this man in the first place? It boggled her.
Her mind went back to what her father said about getting her a whore. She snorted out in the spacious open concept apartment. Had he been comparing Regina to a whore? Or had he meant that was all Emma was worthy of, given her 'disgusting habit' and all?
The blonde plopped down on the black leather sofa. It was actually more comfortable than she had thought it would be and laid back. Her father's voice called again, this time it was after he had hit her the second time. He hit her for not being there to accept a shipment. What the hell was that about? Something was fishy and she was going to get to the bottom of it. Maybe it would be safer if she stayed clear of the gorgeous brunette for a while, at least until things cooled off.
Closing her eyes, she decided it was a good time to try and get some sleep before she needed to get to the club. An image of Regina smiling flashed in front of her. She really was beautiful. Obviously, she was smart. She was a doctor for God's sake. Emma was sure she was smarter than her and probably knew it. She was a great mom. The blonde felt a pull of sadness as she thought of her own mother, but it was gone as fast as it came.
Now she could see the horrified look on the brunette's face when Emma kissed her. Why had she done that? Now Regina wouldn't want to see her anyway because she couldn't control herself when she was in the other woman's presence. She huffed loudly as she flopped onto her side. At this rate, she would never get any sleep.