December 22nd 2013, New York
Emma was walking briskly toward the coffee shop where she had asked Max to meet her. After talking to Regina, she had decided to pay another visit to Greg Mendell, except this time she would not be alone.
Emma readjusted the lapels of her coat to protect herself against the cold wind as much as the festive mood that had settled on New York. Everywhere she looked there were lights and happy families milling around on their last errands before Christmas. She had never liked Christmas; it had always been a painful reminder of the family she never had. However, she had looked forward to spending the holiday with her new family this year. But David would not survive to see the holiday.
Emma shook her head violently in an attempt to clear these thoughts from her mind. She had one chance to save Storybrooke and although she did not consider herself as the Savior from Henry's story, she would do everything she could to bring the cure back home. The tears that finally escaped from her eyes rolled down her cheeks. She wiped them as best she could with her gloved hands before entering the coffee shop.
Max was sitting his usual booth, sipping on his fifth cup of coffee for the day. "Emma, you're..." He was about to admonish her for her tardiness but held his tongue after seeing her red eyes. Emma had been crying. In the years he had known her, Max had never seen her cry. The bail bondsman swallowed hard; he had never been comfortable around emotional people and he did not know what to tell her. He settled on getting down to business. "Why did you want to see me?"
Emma sat opposite her former mentor and placed Henry's storybook along with her baby blanket on the table between them. "I need to tell you something… I know how it will sound but I need you to hear me until the end." Before Max could respond, Emma narrated the events of the past year from the day Henry had shown up at her door in Boston to the day she left for New York after saying goodbye to her father.
To his credit, Max never interrupted her. The former cop had heard many fantastical stories from the petty criminals he was dealing with on a regular basis but somehow Emma's story was different. For some unexplained reason, he believed her. Or at least, he believed that she herself thought this story to be true. And it was enough for him.
Still without uttering a single word, Max opened the book and read through some of its content. He was having a hard time imagining these fairy tale characters living in the real world. Emma finally broke the uncomfortable silence. "I know how this all sounds, Max. It took me a year to believe Henry and I was living with these people everyday. All the signs were there but I was not ready to accept them." Once Max stopped flipping through the various illustrations, she opened the book to the last page, the one depicting her baby blanket.
Max could not stop the surprised gasp from escaping his throat. Even if Emma had not brought her blanket here today, he would have recognized it anyway. This was her most treasured item, the one he would keep every time she went after one of their clients who had skipped their bond. "It's hard to believe, Emma."
"I know."
"And it doesn't tell me why you need my help. Unless you believe me to be some kind of knight in shining armor, which I can assure you, I'm not."
Emma couldn't help the chuckle that made it past her lips. Max always had a knack to bring humor into the darkest situation. "There is an outbreak in Storybrooke."
Max nodded, finally fitting all the pieces of the puzzle together. "And somehow you think Mendell is involved."
"I know he is involved. I also know he has a cure… or at least something that could help!"
Max placed his hand on her arm. "What do you need from me?"
"I don't have time to ask politely any longer."
Max closed his eyes, aware of the exact nature of Emma's request. He had always thought of her as a daughter and he had eventually told her why he had been forced out of NYPD after twenty years of service. Max had been called on a routine case of domestic abuse: drunken man had beaten his wife until he had passed out. Except the wife had been pregnant at the time and had lost her baby as a consequence of the beating she had suffered. Once the peep had been in shape to talk, Max and his partner had taken him to the interrogation room. The man had not even feigned guilt nor remorse and had told the two cops that he had not wanted the baby in the first place. His lack of repentance and complacent demeanor had angered Max past his breaking point. Max knew that the wife would have never pressed charges and the scumbag would have been released within forty-eight hours. Max took justice into his own hands. This incident was the last in a rather long string of similar behavior and after an internal investigation, Max had been asked to retire by the chief of police himself.
Although Max had always recognized the request for what it really had been - a lay-off-, he had been grateful to be booted out the door without a mark on his record. He had been able to start his rather profitable bail bondsman/private detective business within three months of his forced retirement. Max had always thought he would hate the trade but he could not deny the appeal that the increased income and leeway when dealing with criminals his private practice provided.
After a few more minutes of silence that had Emma on the edge of her seat, Max finally cleared his throat. "You do know what you're asking me to do?"
Emma nodded. "There are a lot of people I care about in this town." She did not want to mention her own father at the risk that Max would deny her next request. "I'll come with you. I know what to look for." This was partially true: Archie had given her a description of the liquid and the title of the project under which the Blaze had been studied. She could give that information to Max. But she wanted to accompany him. She could not just sit by and do nothing to help her father.
"Absolutely not!" Max hit the table with his open palm. Everyone in the coffee shop turned toward them. He grunted and lowered his voice. "This is not gonna be pretty, Princess. People usually don't volunteer this type of information."
Emma nodded. "I understand." The familiar pet name made her slightly uncomfortable. "But I want to be there. I… need to be there."
Max closed his eyes. Although he had already made the decision to help Emma, he was running through the short list of names of the people who would be willing to take on such a job. "I need a couple of days to find the appropriate… candidates for the open position."
Emma nodded, grateful for Max's help. However, they did not have two days to save David. "Max, we don't have that much time."
Max decided not to press Emma further on the subject. "I'll see who I can get by tomorrow. I'll give you a call."
"Thank you." Emma breathed out in relief. She gathered the book and her baby blanket, motioning to leave.
Max grabbed her hand. "In the meantime, do NOT do anything. Don't try to get in touch with the man. Don't confront him. Don't follow him. Are we clear?"
Emma nodded. "Tomorrow."
Max also nodded in confirmation. "Tomorrow."
ECECEC
December 23rd 2013
David's chest was on fire, fighting for the much needed air with each breath. He was barely conscious of the soft caresses and reassurance from Regina. "Whale is going to be right here, baby."
Sarah placed an oxygen mask on his face. "Take deep breaths."
Both women were unsuccessfully trying to calm the writhing man on the bed. David had entered the final stage of the disease and his lungs were rapidly filling with fluids. They would have to periodically drain them to relieve David's discomfort.
Whale arrived only a few minutes later. "Help him sit up on the bed." The doctor grabbed the medical kit he needed to drain the fluids while Sarah helped David sit up against Regina. The man seemed to calm down in Regina's embrace. The former Queen rubbed his back soothingly while Sarah and Whale were getting ready to start the procedure.
All David wanted was to hold Regina in his arms one last time but his body refused to comply. He no longer had the strength to wrap his arms around her waist. Understanding his feeble attempts, Sarah gently placed his arms around Regina. The Queen smiled gratefully at the nurse, holding David against her heart.
David shuddered slightly when he felt the needle prick his skin. He closed his eyes and only concentrated on Regina's apple scent, the warmth of her body pressed against his, and the reassuring nonsense she was whispering in his ear. Within a few minutes, David was able to breathe more freely and they helped him lay back down on the bed. David whimpered as soon as he lost contact with Regina but the Queen was quick to take his hand and caress his cheek with the back of her free hand.
"It's over… You're going to be able to breathe much more easily now." Regina bit her lower lip in an attempt to hold back the tears. It was almost over. Within the next twenty four hours, David would slip into a coma, a coma that only one out of nine patients had ever woken from.
David's eyes were already closing despite his best efforts to spend one more precious moment with Regina. He tried to talk but Regina stopped him. "Get some rest. You need to keep fighting." David nodded, losing his battle against sleep.
Once Regina was sure that David was unconscious, she turned toward Whale. "How long?"
The doctor swallowed hard before answering. "Twenty-four to thirty-six hours at the most."
Regina simply nodded, resigned to their fate. She may get another few minutes with David before he would slip into a coma. She kissed David's forehead before settling next to him on the bed.
"Regina…" Whale started, hating himself for being the bearer of more bad news. The Queen looked at him questioningly. For the first time since he had entered the room, Regina examined his features. His skin was pale and his eyes were sunken and red. She did not know when was the last time the doctor had managed a few hours of restful sleep but he needed it soon. Whale sat on the armchair. "Gold brought Belle in a couple of hours ago. She has the rash."
Regina nodded in understanding. As soon as the disease had appeared in Storybrooke, Rumple had ushered Belle in his shop, hoping to wait it out. However, Rumple had forgotten the true nature of his girlfriend: she would not be one to stand by without trying to help people in need. Soon, she had been helping at the convent, serving meals and distributing blankets. "I'll tell Emma." Her voice was detached, devoid of any emotions.
Whale closed his eyes before announcing the last blow. "Helena died half an hour ago." Regina finally let the tears she had been holding flow down her cheeks. "I'm sorry."
Regina was numb, unable to process the reality of one more senseless death. She closed her eyes and just cried.
EC
After leaving David's room, Whale walked back to the lab. He had spent the last few days trying to reconstitute the formula for the cure from the spilled sample Archie had procured. So far he was not having much success.
The doctor jumped as soon as he recognized the woman waiting for him near his office. "You need to get some rest."
Whale could see the concern in her eyes and could imagine the scowl behind the mask. "I'll sleep when this is over."
Red approached him. "You won't do anyone any good if you're too exhausted. Get some rest, Viktor. A few hours won't change anything."
Whale shook his head. "A few hours might save David's life." Red averted her eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound harsh. I just… I just can't sleep knowing that these hours could be better served trying to find a cure."
"Maybe your brain is too exhausted to see what's in front of you. Maybe these hours won't be wasted. Sometimes… sometimes answers come to me in my sleep."
Whale could not argue her point. Red was right: he was tired and perhaps he would feel more clear-headed after a few hours of sleep. He was about to agree when his cell phone rang. "Emma?" He frowned as Emma was explaining to him Max's gamble. After listening to the insane plan, Whale gave her the list of questions to ask Greg Mendell. They may have a chance to save everyone after all.
As soon as he hung up, Red bombarded him with questions but Whale simply smiled at the irony that the reluctant Savior represented their only hope.