Here we go, Storybrooke. You have no idea how happy it makes me when you guys say that this story is the highlight of your day, so thank you so so much. I hope you keep enjoying both the fluff and the angst that's still coming, and sorry about the mix-up yesterday; I was in a rush and I published this chapter instead of the one I was supposed to, but I fixed it, so go back and check it out if you haven't already!
Emma's head is pounding and she blinks in the too bright light, panic flooding her system when she remembers what had happened.
"Killian", she says and winces a little, turning her head to check the hospital room she's in, but she already knows she won't find him in it because if he were here, he'd make his presence known.
"Hey, it's okay. He's just outside with Dr. Whale and the Sheriff", a woman says and Emma frowns, winces again and blinks to get her into focus; she's young and pretty, and she's sitting on the other bed in the room, occupied by a blonde man that appears deeply asleep.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Mary Margaret Blanchard. I ran across Killian when he carried you into town", she says and gives Emma a smile, and there's something about her presence that makes Emma's heart stop racing.
"He carried me into town?"
"Quite an accomplishment", she says, and Emma scowls heavily.
"Because he's missing a hand?"
"Because it's two miles from the town line to the street I found him walking down", Mary Margaret says and Emma gives her a sheepish smile, feeling bad for jumping to the wrong conclusion.
"Who's that?" Emma asks and points at the other occupant of the room, and a strange sadness overcomes her when Mary Margaret glances at the man she's sitting next to and shrugs.
"We don't really know. He'd been in a coma since I can remember."
"How come you're here?" Emma asks and Mary Margaret tilts her head toward the door.
"Killian asked me to. He didn't want you to be alone in case you woke up."
"And you decided to do some stranger a favor like that?" Emma asks, hoping she doesn't sound as incredulous as she feels.
"I volunteer in the hospital anyway, and I felt bad for him; you should've seen him while we were waiting for the ambulance. He was white as snow", Mary Margaret says and Emma bites her lip.
"Am I in trouble for ruining the town sign?" Emma asks, wondering if she had dreamed about Killian saying that the cops can't cross the town line.
"I doubt it", Mary Margaret tells her with a reassuring smile and Emma nods slowly, and even though she wants to see Killian and talk to him, she feels her eyes drooping again. "You should rest."
It's funny and it doesn't make any sense, but Emma feels safe because of Mary Margaret's presence.
"I'll stay here until Killian comes back", Mary Margaret says and Emma closes her eyes, giving in to her tiredness, feeling like she can rest because she's finally right where she's supposed to be.
Next time Emma opens her eyes she sees Killian sitting in a chair next to her bed, smoothing his fingers over her forearm ceaselessly; his lips are moving and for a moment it looks like he's praying, but then she realizes he's just repeating her name under his breath.
"Hey", Emma says and he looks up, letting her go as if he'd been caught doing God knows what to her.
"You're awake", he murmurs and gives her an apologetic smile as if it was his fault she is.
"You're too far away", Emma tells him and makes him room in the bed next to her, feeling a bit woozy but not really in that much pain anymore.
"Emma, you're already hurt because of me", he says and she closes her eyes because she can't deal with this right now; the bed dips gently when he lies down next to her and Emma shifts until she's lying on her side, brushing her nose against his arm despite the fact that there's a sharp pain piercing her forehead every time she moves her head.
"I'm better already", she say and offers him her hand, and he brings it to his lips for a kiss before he laces their fingers together and tells her that he's sorry.
"It wasn't your fault… wait. What happened to the cops?"
"They came right up to the town line, and then they made a U turn and went back the way they came; I told you that there would be some kind of a protection spell keeping the outside world out", Killian says, then shakes his head and caresses her cheek with his knuckles, still holding her hand in his. "Don't worry about anything, love, you're safe here."
"How long do I have to stay in hospital?" Emma asks and scoots closer so she can wrap her arm around him; she's breathless with relief that he's okay, that her reckless driving didn't hurt him.
"Just until tomorrow", Killian tells her and carefully slips his arm under her pillow so she ends up with her head against his shoulder.
"What did the Sheriff say about the sign?"
"He was surprisingly gracious about it after I told him that we've been Sheriffs ourselves and that you had to swerve because of that bloody wolf", Killian tells her and Emma is still wondering why was that wolf standing in the middle of the road anyway.
"How did you convince the nurses to let you stay here so late?" She asks because it's dark outside and Mary Margaret is gone.
"It didn't take that much convincing… I guess they know true love when they see it", he says and presses a gentle kiss against the top of her head; it's sappy, but she likes the sound of that.
"So we're true love, hm?" Emma teases gently, her fingers playing with his necklace as she tries to fight a smile that's tugging at her lips despite the fact that she should be worried about his delusions.
"Truest", he says and Emma tilts her head back, getting lost in his blue eyes before he closes them and gives her a chaste, sweet kiss that makes her heart drop in her chest because nobody had ever cared for her like this.
Nobody had ever cared for her, and she can still hardly believe that being in love can be like this; it's been just a day since they've come together but so much has happened that it seems like much longer.
It seems like they've been together for weeks, not hours.
"Go to sleep, lass, and I'll be here when you wake up", he says and pulls the covers over her, his hand rubbing her arm slowly, both to keep her warm and to help her relax.
Emma had never believed in happy endings, but when he's holding her like this, she feels like her own happy ending is within her grasp.
Her happy ending is here, whispering how scared he'd been and how much he cares about her, and when his lips brush her cheek the kiss touches not just her skin, but also her heart.
The third time Emma wakes up in her hospital bed Killian is there just like he'd promised, only he's sleeping in a chair, snoring softly, and it's only then that she notices that he looks as if he hadn't slept in a week, so she leaves him be.
She feels well-rested and when she sits up on the edge of the bed her head doesn't spin at all so she gets up and tiptoes into the bathroom to inspect the damage; her hair is a mess, there's a stitched-up gash on her forehead and a bruise on her cheek, her ribs are blue from where the seatbelt had dug into her, but other than that, she's fine.
It could've been much worse, and right then the only thing that matters to her is that Killian hadn't been hurt.
"Lass? Are you in there?" Killian asks from the other side of the door and she smiles at her reflection before telling him that she's fine and that she'll be right out.
"Good morning, Emma. I'm doctor Whale", a doctor says when she comes out of the bathroom and she waves awkwardly then goes to sit on the edge of her bed. "Let's see if you're ready to be released."
Killian is standing next to her bed as Dr. Whale makes her follow his finger and asks her questions she answers quickly and correctly, hoping he'd go already and leave her and Killian alone.
"Everything seems to be fine, but I'd like you to come see me again in a week, if you're staying in town?" Dr. Whale says and Emma glances at Killian, gives him a smile and only then tells the doctor that they are staying.
Despite what had happened when they first got into it, Storybrooke just feels right to her, it feels like home, and she doesn't see a single reason why they should leave.
"I'll go write your discharge letter", Dr. Whale says and nods at Killian before he exits the room; Emma doesn't waste time, just gets up and goes to Killian, stands on her tiptoes and kisses him.
"How are we going to pay for the hospital?" Emma asks him, and Killian caresses her cheek and tells her that they took Luke Grant's health insurance card and told him her stay is covered.
"Which makes sense if they are all cursed and trapped here; they don't worry about little things like health insurance", he says and leads her back to the bed, then opens the closet and takes out a plastic bag with her clean clothes. "Your shirt is ruined so I threw it away."
"Are you just going to stand there or will you help me get dressed?" She asks him softly and he hastens to comply, untying her hospital gown and tugging it off; there's heat in his blue gaze because he's a full-blooded male and she's naked, but he's looking at her with such affection that it's clear how happy he is that he can take care of her the way she had taken care of him when they first met.
Emma puts on her bra and Killian carefully pulls her shirt on so it doesn't touch her forehead, then straightens it once she puts her arms in it. He crouches in front of her and even though it's incredibly hot watching him drag her panties up her legs because it's him doing it, the kiss he presses against her knee is nothing but chaste. Finally, her jeans are on and he leaves it to her to zip them up while he slips her sneakers on her feet.
The fact that he's only got one hand doesn't stop him when it's time to tie them, and he makes cute little knots she doubts she'd be able to do with ten fingers, much less five.
"What?" He asks and lifts his eyebrow at her when he's done, his eyes challenging her to say something against his knots.
"You have to teach me how to do that", she tells him and his smile warms her up inside.
It's only when she stands up and her head spins a little that it really registers that the other bed is empty now.
"What happened to the guy?" She asks when Killian wraps his arm around her waist to steady her and he takes her hand in his before he tells her that he had woken up while she was asleep.
"It's why I ended up sleeping in the chair; the nurses thought that I was taking too many liberties", he says and Emma frowns.
"He woke up? Just like that?"
"Not exactly", Killian says and squeezes her fingers before he tells her that he thinks Mary Margaret's voice brought him back.
"I don't follow."
"The first thing he had said was "Snow"", Killian tells her and Emma feels a headache coming on again.
"You think he and Mary Margaret are my parents?!" She asks, trying not to let him see how insane what he's saying is sounding to her.
"I do", Killian says and gives her a faint smile before he goes on. "I know it sounds ridiculous to you, but you and Mary Margaret have the same chin."
"You're silly", she tells him and kisses him, her hand cupping his cheek when their tongues tangle together, her head spinning for an entirely different reason than before.
The thing is, a part of her wishes he's right, even though the other, more rational part of her keeps telling her that it's just his delusions; it doesn't stop her from loving him more than she had ever loved anybody or anything else, more than she had ever imagined herself being capable of loving.
"Come on. I found us a place to stay. It's called Granny's Bed & Breakfast", Killian tells her when they come up for air and Emma follows him out of the room, her hand safely nestled in his.
Time will tell if there's more to this town than meets the eye, but either way, she's going to be fine because she's got Killian by her side.
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