Title: A Family's Faith

Disclaimer: Once Upon A Time and its characters belong to Eddie Kitsis and Adam Horowitz and are owned by ABC. Not Mine!

Warning: K+ (Fights with swords and guns- minor violence)

Author's Note: Chapter 21! Hope you like this chapter! :) Thanks for the reviews! It was nice to hear from all of you again! :) Enjoy! :)

Chapter 21: Brave

He raises the knife and I feel a sharp, sickening pain as it goes into my side and I black out thinking my life is over, but maybe that's not such a bad thing...

"Emma."

Emma tossed and turned as she slept with a look of distress on her face. David could tell she was having a nightmare, but she was in a deep sleep from the anesthesia and pain medication she had been on in surgery.

"Emma, wake up sweetie." David said as he shook her uninjured shoulder to try to bring her out of her nightmare.

Emma woke up with a start and had a confused look in her eyes. "What..." She started.

"It's okay. It was just a dream. Just relax." David comforted her.

Emma relaxed some and closed her eyes for a second as David rubbed the side her arm. She opened her eyes again to see she was still in the recovery room.

"Do you want to talk about it?" David asked after a moment of silence.

Emma moved her head side to side indicating that she would rather not talk about her nightmare.

"Ok." David said softly as he touched her face lightly with his hand before bringing his hand down to hold her hand.

Emma closed her eyes again, but them opened them a second later to look at David.

"What is it, Emma?" David asked as he saw the look on Emma's face. It was a mixture of fear and worry.

"I..." Emma started, but then looked down at the sheets.

David waits for a moment knowing Emma wants to say something to him, but when she doesn't say anything he gently lifts her chin so that she is looking at him. "You can tell me anything, Emma."

"I don't want to sleep, but I'm tired." Emma said after a moment and a tear slides down her cheek as she mentioned she was tired.

David's heart broke a little at hearing her admit she was tired and he wasn't surprised that she was so tired after everything she as been through. But for her to admit to being tired was something she doesn't normally do. "You don't want to sleep because of your nightmare?" David asked even though he knew the answer.

Emma nodded as a few more tears fell down her face.

"I know you don't want to talk about it, but it could help. Are you sure you don't want to tell me about it?" David asked softly.

"I'm not ready yet." Emma said in a shaky voice.

"It's okay, Emma." David said softly as he touches her cheek and then wipes her tears away. He could tell that whatever her nightmare was went deeper than just a dream. She was practically shaking thinking about it.

"Dad?" Emma asked as more tears fall down her face. She wasn't sure why she was so emotional right now, but she just wanted to feel safe.

"Yes, Em?" David responded with a concerned look. He wasn't sure what she wanted from him, but his heart was breaking seeing her so exhausted and emotional.

"Can you...I mean do you think it would be okay if...I hugged you?" Emma said through her tears, but regretted it after she felt embarrassed by her request. She just wanted to feel safe at least for a moment.

David heart stopped at her request and then smiled because that was something he could do to help her. "I think that would be okay, but why don't I hug you? We wouldn't want you to break open your stitches." David said with a soft smile.

"Ok." Emma replied with a tiny smile.

David sits on the bed carefully and hugs his daughter being gentle with her. He thought it was precious that she just wanted a hug from him, but he thought it was mostly because she needed comfort. He held her to him until he felt like she had calmed down. He leaned back a little and wiped the rest of her tears away before kissing her forehead. "Feeling better?" David asked without moving from his position on the bed.

Emma nodded with a smile.

"Good. Do you think you can sleep now?" David asked slowly.

"Yeah, but you will be here, right?" Emma asked.

"Of course. I'm not leaving and soon they will be taking you back to the room." David said.

"Ok." Emma said before she closed her eyes, but she had a tight grip on her Dad's hand.

David didn't move from his spot on the bed hoping that Emma would feel safe to fall asleep knowing he was right there. He gently tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear with his free hand. It didn't take long for Emma to fall asleep. He sighed in relief and he hoped she wouldn't have any more nightmares. He kissed her forehead once more before carefully getting off the bed to sit in the chair again, but he never let go of her hand.

***OUAT***

As they moved a sleeping Emma from one bed to the other, Snow walked over to Charming's side. "How is she?" She asked.

"She's exhausted and emotional. She had a nightmare about half an hour ago that really shook her up, but I finally was able to get her to go back to sleep." David explained quietly as the hospital staff left the room while nurse made sure Emma was settled.

"I'm guessing she didn't want to talk about her nightmare?" Snow said softly.

"Yeah, she said she wasn't ready yet." David explained.

Snow frowned wondering what Emma meant by that response, but before she could ask David what he thought she meant the nurse came up to them.

"I set up her pain meds again so all she has to do is push the button when she needs some. Also if she or Henry need anything you can press the call button." The nurse explained.

"Thank you." Snow said softly before the nurse left the room. By this time it was a little past eleven at night. She could see the exhaustion on David's face and she knew it mirrored her own exhaustion. It had been a long day, well a long couple of days for all of them.

David kissed Snow's forehead before heading to the chair on the left side of Emma's bed while Snow sat down in a chair between the beds. "We better get some sleep while we can." David said quietly as he got as comfortable as possible in his chair.

"Goodnight, David." Snow whispered softly.

"Night, Snow." David whispered back to his wife.

***OUAT***

He raises the knife and I feel a sharp, sickening pain as it goes into my side...

The last thing I remember was dying...I'm I in heaven? No, I'm in too much pain to be in heaven. I open my eyes to see a white ceiling and white walls. I realize I'm in a bed, a hospital bed, and I'm attached to a machine. I'm in a hospital. Someone must have found me and called an ambulance.

I start to panic as I realize that I'm in the hospital. This place holds no happy memories, but feelings of being lonely, scared, and hurt. A place where it is very evident that I have no family and no friends. I'm alone.

I close my eyes to try to sleep, but when I close them I see Devin with his knife and have to reopen my eyes. I can't sleep, but I'm so tired.

The nurse comes over to me when she sees that I am awake. "Hi, Ms. Swan. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine." I say automatically.

The nurse narrows her eyes and I try to keep my eyes open. "Don't fight the sleep, it will help you recover."

"I'm not tired." I say stubbornly. "And I don't need to be here." I add as I start to get out of the bed.

"I need help over here!" The nurse called as she went straight for me. "Bring a sedative!"

"No! No! You can't keep me here!" I yell to them, but they are no match for me.

I feel a pinch in my arm and then I feel myself get really sleepy and limp. My eyes shut against my will and I see Devin with his knife.

The next thing I know, I am running down the alley from Devin with my heart beating one hundred miles per hour.

3:45 am (In Emma's perspective)

I wake up with a start, breathing hard and with my heart racing, to see that everyone is asleep. Dad is by my left side, Mom is by right side, and Henry is in the bed next to me.

I can't calm myself down and I know I am panicking. If I don't calm down I'm going to make myself sick, I can feel it. I want to wake one or both of my parents, but they need their sleep so I can't wake them.

I can't help, but think of Devin chasing me down the alley with his knife. I feel myself shaking from my fear. This is dumb I need to calm down. I'm safe here with my family, but I can't seem to calm down. I feel the telltale sign that I am going to throw up.

No. I can't throw up especially right now in my bed, but I can't get up either. I glance at my mom and then my dad, but it's too late. I throw up.

(End of Emma's POV - Back to Normal)

David woke up to someone, namely his daughter, throwing up on herself. "It's okay, Emma." David said as he pushed the call button for help. He went into the bathroom and took a rag to get it wet to bring back to his daughter.

Emma had tears in her eyes as he walked back in the room and looked embarrassed, but she looked like she was feeling terrible. He smiled softly at her before he started wiping her face with the rag, starting with her forehead and then wiping her mouth off.

"I'm sorry." Emma mumbled.

"Hey, none of that. No need to be sorry." David whispered to Emma.

"What's going on?" Snow asked as she woke up to see her husband up with her daughter. "Oh Emma." Snow added when she sees the mess Emma made from throwing up.

"I pushed the button, but the nurse hasn't come. I'll go check." David said as he handed the rag to Snow before going to find a nurse.

"Are you not feeling good, sweetie?" Snow asked as she tries to clean off Emma's hands.

"I just got worked up." Emma admitted with an ashamed look.

"Over what?" Snow asked softly.

"I had another dream, well a nightmare." Emma admitted as she looked at her mom.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Snow asked, wondering it was the same one she had earlier.

"I don't want to, but maybe it will help?" Emma said looking at her mom.

"Ok." Snow said with a soft, sympathetic smile at Emma's dilemma.

Before Emma could start to share, David came back in the room with the nurse who had a pile of linens in her hands. "Let's get you cleaned up, shall we?" The nurse said with a soft smile.

David excused himself from the room to let the nurse and Snow help Emma while he went to go get some coffee. He wasn't sure how long it would take so after he got his coffee and Snow's coffee from the machine; he waited outside of the room till the nurse came out.

After a few more minutes, the nurse came out and he walked in. He handed Snow the coffee cup and then went to Emma's left side. He gently touched her face and smiled. "Feel better?"

Emma nodded with tiny smile.

"Good." David said before kissing Emma's forehead.

"Emma, do you still want to share your dream with us?" Snow asked softly, hoping Emma would still want to get it off her chest. Snow saw fear flash through Emma's eyes and panic settle in them. She exchanged a look with David and knew he had seen the same thing in Emma's eyes.

"Yeah..." Emma answered after a moment. "It's more of a memory than a dream because it really happen." Emma started, but then looked between her parents who gave her encouraging smiles to continue. She opened her mouth to start, but then she felt the panic all over again and she couldn't continue. She felt her breathing escalate and her heartbeat start to race. She wanted to tell them, but she couldn't get past the fear. She had to try though so she began, "I was on a case and it went bad. I tried to run from him, but he..."

Snow and David watched, as Emma literally couldn't go on with her story. She was breathing unevenly and shaking. She was afraid to even tell the story. "Emma, it's okay. Just breathe. Your safe with us." David said as he sat on the edge of the bed in front of Emma.

Snow grabbed Emma's hand and sat on the bed, but on Emma's right side. "Emma, if you don't want to tell us anymore it's okay." Snow said after a moment.

Emma can't help it when she bursts in to tears. She wants to tell them, but she can't get it all out. "But I want to, I just can't." Emma cried.

David couldn't take it anymore so he carefully slipped one arm under Emma's knees and one arm under her shoulders. Snow saw what he was doing and helped him, making sure that her IV didn't get pulled out. David carefully settled himself on the bed with Emma in his arms as Snow laid beside him. Good thing the beds are big or else they wouldn't have been able to do this.

"Shh, baby. We've got you. You're safe." David murmured to Emma as she continued to cry into his shirt.

Snow kissed Emma's forehead and ran her fingers through Emma's hair. "Your dad is right, you are safe and we aren't going to let anything happen to you." Snow whispered to Emma.

Emma nodded against David's chest. She takes a deep breath thinking maybe she could tell the rest, maybe just maybe she could this time. "He chased me down the alley. I tripped and fell because of the heels I was wearing. I got to my feet fast, but he had caught up with me."

David and Snow waited patiently for Emma to continue. They didn't want to push her, but she seemed like she wanted to tell them. Emma was crying again and it was seriously breaking his heart to see her so afraid to tell this story. "Shh, Emma. You don't have to finish it if you don't want to." David said to Emma as Snow rubbed circles into her back.

Emma opened her eyes to look at her dad and then her mom. She wanted to tell them and she knew when she looked at them that she could. "We fought and I tried to get away from him, but he was stronger than me and he had a knife. He stabbed me with it in my side and I thought I was going to die. No one would even miss me."

David looked over to Snow to see tears streaming down her eyes and he knows he has tears on his face as well. This man stabbed my daughter? I can't even believe that she went through something like this. No wonder it is haunting her in her dreams.

"What happen next, sweetie?" Snow asked pulling David from his thoughts.

"They told me that someone interrupted him and he ran off. The person called 911 and told them where I was, but then left the scene before they could ask him any questions. I never found out who it was, but he saved my life. I woke up in the hospital after having emergency surgery. They wanted me to go back to sleep, but whenever I closed my eyes I saw him. I saw Devin so I tried to leave the hospital, but they sedated me. I dreamed about him over and over again. They kept me sedated most of the time because whenever I woke up I would try to leave because I didn't want to sleep." Emma explained in a very quiet voice that her parents had to strain to hear.

"Emma, honey." Snow started and turned Emma's head to look at her. "I am so proud of you. It took courage to tell that story." Snow said softly with a smile.

"Your mother's right, Em. That was very brave." David added.

Emma didn't expect this response from her parents and was really shocked that they would be proud of her for something she was always ashamed of. "But it wasn't brave...I was weak." Emma choked out.

"Why do you think you were weak?" Snow asked.

"Because if I was stronger I wouldn't have been stabbed in the first place. It was my fault that it happened and crying while I told you guys isn't brave it's weak." Emma said as she looked down.

"For one, just because you cried doesn't make you weak. Crying isn't something that makes us weak, but a way for us to deal with things to make us stronger. It takes more courage to show our feelings then it does to hide them. It's okay to cry and it doesn't make you weak, but shows that you are alive and feel something." Snow explained to her daughter.

"And Emma, the person that was weak in that situation was that man not you. You fought hard even though this man was stronger than you and had a weapon, but you still fought hard, you didn't give up. You were brave and I am proud of you for it." David added.

"And Sweetie, that was not your fault. That man was weak when he hurt you and he was in the wrong, not you." Snow added.

"I may have been brave then, but you don't understand I wasn't brave later." Emma said with an ashamed look on her face, thinking of the years after she got stabbed. "They said I had PTSD and I saw a psychiatrist for almost two years before I quit."

"Emma, look at me." David said sitting up a little. Emma kept her eyes on the blanket in front of her. "Emma Ruth, look at me." David repeated sternly.

Emma knew that tone of voice and she couldn't not look at him even though she didn't want to. Emma looked into his eyes fearing that she would see disappointment, but all she could see was pride and love.

"Emma, having PTSD and having to deal with it on your own is something that was very brave of you to do, especially since you had to deal with it on your own. Also I'm proud of you for having the courage to fight it. It's not easy getting over PTSD even with a good support system, but you did it. You see Emma, it's not about how we fall, it's about how we get up and keep living. And you, my girl, were brave enough to get back up and keep living despite your fear, despite your experience. You were brave and you still are brave." David said firmly, yet with pride in the tone of his voice.

Emma believed him and for once didn't feel ashamed of her history of PTSD. "Thank you." Emma said softly looking between her parents.

They both smiled softly at her, hoping that their talk with their daughter would help her sleep better.

"You think you can sleep now?" Snow asked as she wiped Emma's tears from her eyes.

"Yeah, but can you guys stay with me for a little bit?" Emma asked softly, feeling like a little girl.

"Of course, sweetheart." Snow responded with a smile.

David kissed Emma's forehead before saying, "Sleep well, kiddo."

Snow kissed Emma's cheek before saying, "Love you, Em."

Emma smiled before closing her eyes. "Love you guys too." She snuggled deeper into her father's shirt and squeezed her mother's hand before drifting off to sleep.

David and Snow looked at each other, both of them had tears in their eyes from the story Emma just told them, but they were both proud of their girl who had managed to get through it alone. They just hated that once again she had gone through something alone without them.

David stretched his arm so that it was over Snow's shoulder giving her comfort. They closed their eyes as well getting a few more minutes of sleep before the day would start, but neither of them could think of anything besides what Emma went through.

Love to hear your thoughts! Please Review! :)

Up Next: I think Emma may have some nicer dreams in the near future :)