I know what you're thinking, two chapters in the same week? WHATTT?
Well, I think you're going to like what I have for you here!
Enjoy!
The doors to the Emergency Room fly open as Killian and David run inside.
Spotting a nurse at the registration table, Killian runs over.
"Excuse me, I'm looking for Emma Swan, she was brought in by the police not too long ago!" he says frantically.
His voice is loud even in the busy hospital. The nurse looks up and assesses Killian before turning back to the computer, which she had been working on when they approached her.
"What's your relationship to the patient, sir?" she asks.
"I'm her boyfriend."
The nurse sighs. "I'm sorry sir but I can only give out information about a patients condition, and location, to family members."
Slamming his hands down on the counter, Killian yells, "I AM HER FAMILY!"
Trying to calm his friend down, David pulls Killian away from the counter and turns to the nurse himself.
"Look, I'm really sorry about my friend, but he's been worried sick about his girlfriend for days, ever since she went missing. I'm not sure how much you've heard about Emma, but she was kidnapped all the way back in Maine by her crazy ex and they were missing for days until they turned up here in Detroit. We just got off a plane after my friend here left his daughter, who is also Emma's daughter, back home. We just want to make sure she's okay after everything she's been through. Is there anything you can do to help us? We'd really appreciate it."
The nurse looks between David and Killian before going back to her computer.
David turns back to Killian, who in the span of just a few minutes has become even more frantic than when they first entered the hospital.
"It'll be ok, Killian. Let me try calling Graham again, see if he answers this time. He should be able to give us some answers."
The two men start walking towards the ER waiting room, David pulling out his phone, when they hear the nurse speak up behind them.
"Ms. Swan is currently in surgery on the 4th floor. I've made a notation in her chart to have the doctors give you an update once she's out. But before you can head up to the surgical floor, I need you both to sign in here."
Killian whips around and practically runs back to the reception desk.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
The two quickly sign in and are handed two nametags and are instructed to head to the 4th floor.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
40 MINUTES EARLIER
They had twenty minutes left of their flight and Killian felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest.
Thirty minutes after their flight was in the air, David got a text from Graham with a link to a live feed from a local new station showing the car chase. For the next hour Killian sat with his eyes glued to his cell phone screen, watching as Neal drove his car erratically through the streets of Detroit before getting onto a highway. Killian breathes a sigh of relief when the news anchor announces that the local police have closed off access to parts of the highway to limit the amount of innocent civilians on the road.
A flight attendant by the name of Sean stops by their seats. When the flight attendants began their drink services after the flight reached the appropriate altitude, Sean came over to check on the visibly nervous Killian. After a short discussion where David informed Sean of the situation in Detroit, the flight attendant worked up his own game plan for landing.
"Ok gentlemen, I had the caption reach out to air traffic control at the airport; they're going to give us priority clearance for landing to make sure we get on the ground as quickly as possible. He also reached out to security at the airport, they're going to have a car waiting for you to take you wherever you need to go."
Killian feels like he could cry, but instead he stands from his seat and pulls Sean into a quick hug.
"Thank you, you have no idea what this means."
Sean smiled and clapped Killian on the shoulder.
"Don't worry about it, Mr. Jones. No one should have to deal with what your family is going through, let's just pray that everything works out and your girl will be back in your arms in a matter of hours."
Killian returns Sean's smile and returns to his seat and he listens to David thank Sean as well.
The rest of the flight goes quickly and Killian spends the entire time with his eyes glued to his phone.
And just when Killian feels the tires of the airplane touchdown, it happens.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
FIVE MINUTES BEFORE KILLIAN'S PLANE TOUCHES DOWN
They've been driving in silence for over an hour.
Emma knows that Neal is not listening to her, so any way to reach out to him is going to be useless.
After the revelation of Neal's plan, Emma went through the Five Stages of Grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.
Denial didn't last that long, how could it in her current situation?
Anger lasted the longest amount of time and if she's honest with herself, she still on that stage.
Bargaining, well, Emma isn't proud of that stage. She offered things to Neal that went against everything she believed in and even thinking about it makes her want to vomit. The only thing she cared about was getting back to Killian and Ellie, no matter what.
Emma didn't allow herself to dwell in depression for too long before she moved onto the fifth and last stage.
Acceptance.
As hard as it is to believe, Emma has accepted her fate.
She has accepted the fact that she is going to die and leave behind the love of her life and her beautiful little girl.
The feeling of the car jerking sharply to one side pulls Emma out of her thoughts.
Looking over at Neal, she is surprised to see that he looks nervous.
Looking around she spots what causes his change in emotion.
About two miles down the road in front of them is a blockade made out of police cards.
Emma feels as if her heart is going to explode.
"Neal, please, stop the car. It's over, there's nowhere to go, no way to get out of this."
Emma turns around to make sure the other cops were still following behind; they are.
"It's over when I say it's over, Emma." He growls.
'This is it', she thinks, "He's going to kill us. Now."
Sitting back in her seat Emma allows herself to think of Killian and Ellie, about the short amount of time they got to spend together. About how a lifetime with them wouldn't be enough time for her liking.
Taking one last glance out the back window towards the cop cars, something catches her attention.
Graham and August.
They've been right behind her this entire time!
Seeing her friends so close gives her a surge of emotion, the biggest of which being hope.
'No Neal, it's not over until I say it's over!"
Looking at the blockade as it gets closer and closer, Emma knows she needs to come up with a plan. Looking around the car she thinks she might have something.
Quickly, Emma unbuckles her seatbelt and bolts for the back seat.
"What the hell are you doing?" Neal screams, trying to reach out and grab her, but she's too quick.
"Fuck you, Neal. You may want to die, but I actually have something to live for."
Emma knows that Neal's plan has something to do with crashing the car they're in; there's no other explanation considering their current circumstances. So Emma's plan is to make sure that she is as prepared for a crash as possible, and that includes buckling every seatbelt around her in the back seat.
She sits herself in the middle seat and quickly latches that lap restraint present and in its appropriate buckle. Next, Emma grabs the seat belt on her left side and pulls it around her to latch into the buckle on her right side, and then does the same with the seat belt on her right, latching it into the buckle on her left.
Emma has effectively buckled herself in the back seat just in time to see the cars behind them slow down to a stop.
Quickly looking forward, Emma watched as Neal presses his foot harder down onto the gas pedal when the blockade is a mere 15 feet from them.
"Dear god, please let this work." She whispers to herself.
And then it happens.
And the world goes black.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
PRESENT TIME
Killian doesn't remember getting off the plane or the car ride to the hospital.
All he can think about is the crash. Something that will be forever burned into his memory.
Neal, the coward that he is, had driven into a blockade of cop cars going at least 80mph, causing the car to flip over.
David had filled him in about the details from the scene; the cop cars had been empty and no police had been injured but Emma and Neal had both been transported to the hospital via helicopter where they were both rushed into surgery.
August had called not long after the crash to let them know which hospital Emma had been taken to.
Once David and Killian made it to the hospital and went to the 4th floor waiting area, they were reunited with the two officers.
David greeted his friends and colleagues with a one-armed hug whereas Killian held himself back, fearful that his emotions would get the better of him any second.
"Any news?" he asks after a moment.
August shakes his head, "Nothing. All we know is that she's in surgery."
Nodding, Killian finds the closest chair and lets himself fall into it, putting his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.
A moment later he feels a hand on his shoulder.
Looking up he sees Graham. "She's going to be ok, Killian. Emma is the strongest person I know. If anyone can get through something like this, it's her."
August, who has taken the seat across from Killian echo's Grahams words before adding his own.
"She the smartest person I know too. Did anyone tell you where we found her in the car? She had climbed in the backseat and buckled herself in three times over! Who thinks of shit like that?"
David gives a soft chuckle from beside him before the four men fall into a comfortable silence.
Half an hour later a doctor wearing navy blue scrubs enters the waiting room.
"Are you the family of Emma Swan?" he asks.
Killian and the others jump from their seats and rush over to the doctor.
"Yes! Is she ok?"
"Ms. Swan is going to be fine. She was incredibly luck to have survived such a crash without life threatening injuries. She was unconscious when she was airlifted here but we were able to rule out any kind of brain damage but she does have a mild concussion. She has no internal bleed but she does have some deep tissue bruising from the accident as well as from what I assume was some physical abuse prior to the accident. Her right arm and leg are broken and had to be surgically repaired and she has a couple fractured ribs that will heal on their own. She will be in some pain for a while but should make a full recovery."
Killian feels the air leave his chest and he is forced to lean forward to catch his breath. He feels someone pat him gently on the back for a minute before standing back up.
"When can I see her?"
"She's currently in recovery but should be moved to a private room in about thirty minutes, given that there are no post surgery complications. I will make sure to have a nurse come out and get you when the time comes."
All four men thank the doctor and begin to move back to their seats when the doctors' voice stops them.
"One more thing, Ms. Swan's fetus survived the crash as well and was monitored throughout the surgery. She shouldn't have any complications but I recommend that she see's her OBGYN when she returns home in a few days for a full check-up."
Killian's eyes go wide as saucers.
"I'm sorry, WHAT?"
ONE MORE CHAPTER LEFT BEFORE THE EPILOGUE!