Chapter 25: Forever Connected
When the cottage blew up, everyone watching shielded their faces. The only thing standing was a single room of the cottage. The people in the crowd recovered quicker than the 5 on the ground. A few people ran over to see if they were okay. Once Snow knew her daughter was fine, she ran over to Regina.
Snow extended her hand to help her up. "Regina, are you okay?"
Regina accepted Snow's hand but ignored her question. "Miranda's still in there!" She said looking at the leveled building.
David jumped in front of her before she could go anywhere. "Regina, stay here." He instructed.
Regina tried to fight off David's grip. "No. I need to get to my daughter."
Neal came over to assist David in restraining Regina. Once Neal had her, David, Emma and Ruby went down to see if anyone was still alive. Ruby unlocked the door to the room that was still standing and found the dead bodies of the children the witches killed. She told David and Emma but there was nothing they could do for them now. They resumed searching for Mandy under all the rubble.
"I think this is one of the witches." David said when he moved a piece of debris.
"I found two more over here." Ruby yelled.
"Over here! Mandy's over here!" Emma shouted as she quickly began pulling heavy debris off of her. David and Ruby helped her once they got over there.
"Mandy are you okay?" Emma asked.
"Emma?" Mandy said weakly opening her eyes partially.
"She doesn't look too good. She's bleeding a lot." Ruby observed. "We need to get her to the hospital."
"Mandy, stay with me." Emma said pleading with the injured girl. David gently picked her up. Emma talked to her as they quickly walked back.
Regina saw how badly Mandy was bleeding and began freaking out. "Miranda! Miranda!" She screamed as she broke free of Neal's grasp and ran to meet David. David put her in Regina's arms as she knelt down with Mandy's head resting on her lap. Everyone was circled around them, watching the scene unfold.
"She's not going to make it." David mumbled to Snow, Emma and Cora.
Regina stroked her daughter's hair. "Miranda, honey, stay with me." She sobbed and whispered, "Please stay with me."
"This is too heartbreaking." Snow muttered as tears began to fill her eyes.
Mandy squeezed Regina's hand and whispered, "I love you mom."
Regina squeezed back. "I love you too, honey. Stay with me. I can't lose you, not again." She said sobbing over her daughter. Mandy's grip loosened as she took her last breath.
"No. No. Please, no!" Regina yelled shaking her. Henry hugged Emma tightly as he cried. Tears began running down everyone's faces.
"Wait. Emma and Mandy have some sort of special connection right?" Snow asked Cora who was standing next to her.
Cora's eyes grew wide. "Yes, of course! Emma can save her!" She shouted.
"I can?" Emma asked.
"You can." Gold confirmed.
"But I'm not good with magic. I could barely break down the force field." Emma argued.
"You have to try. You're her only hope!" Henry said looking up at Emma.
"Please, Emma. I can't lose her." Regina begged, tears still in her eyes.
How could Emma say no. "Alright, I'll try. What do I have to do?"
"Grab her hands." Gold instructed. Emma knelt down on the other side of Mandy and grabbed her hands. "Close your eyes and concentrate on healing her."
Emma did as she was told. "It's not working."
"Try harder, Emma." Snow commanded.
"I am. It's not that easy." Emma said glaring back at Snow.
Regina put her hands on top of Emma's, bringing her attention back to Mandy. "Please, Emma. Concentrate." She begged.
Emma saw the desperation in her eyes. "Okay." She whispered.
There was a noise coming from the leveled building that distracted Emma and the rest of the group. Gasps escaped from the group when they saw the witches get up. Regina, without hesitation, gently placed Mandy's head on Emma's lap and quickly pushed through the crowd of people. She was pissed off and everyone knew not to mess with Regina, especially when she was mad. She was about to go all Evil Queen on their asses and those witches wouldn't know what hit them.
"Winnie, looks like we have company." Mary whispered to her sister when she saw Regina heading down the hill toward them.
Winnie threw a spell at her but Regina easily deflected it without losing any speed as she kept walking. She threw a fire ball in return. Regina wasn't playing around; she wanted those bitches dead.
"Feisty, aren't we?" Winnie asked as she ducked out of the way from the flaming fireball headed straight for her face.
"You killed my daughter!" She screamed.
"We killed a lot of children, dear. You'll have to be more specific." Winnie replied in a rather cheerful tone.
"The little girl with magic." Regina said sharply.
Winnie smiled at the fact that that girl was dead. "The little brat had it coming. One less snotty, disobedient kid in the world. I did you a favor…you're welcome."
"You bitch." Regina screamed. She was throwing spells at the witches left and right. They couldn't deflect them all and were soon lying on the ground, motionless. Regina knew they were dead; her spells were very powerful because of how much emotion she put into them. She wasn't going to let them kill her daughter and get away with it. She didn't care if she let the Evil Queen in her come out and play. She threw one last fireball at the witches and they quickly caught fire. She turned and marched back to Emma and her daughter while the witches burned in the background, ignoring the stares she received from the group.
She lifted Mandy back onto her lap. "Please continue, Emma." She whispered returning to the mournful mother she once was before the witches rose from the rubble as if nothing happened.
Emma was still trying to comprehend what just happened but quickly refocused herself and began thinking about Mandy and everything she has done. She did save Henry more than once, introduced him to new friends and she was there for Henry when he needed someone to talk to. She really wanted to save her, it was the least she could do. As the Savior, she felt useless, like she was given that title without really earning it.
A bright light began emanating from Emma's hands and flowed into Mandy's entire body. Jaws dropped as they watched Emma. As soon as the light dissipated, they could see the color come back into Mandy's face.
Emma opened her eyes and looked down. "Did it work?"
Gold looked her over. "She's alive but barely. You need to get her to the hospital." Before anyone could say anything, Cora, Regina and Mandy disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke. Gold neglected to tell Emma that saving Miranda's life connected them together even closer than before.
"I wanna go to the hospital to see Mandy." Henry said.
"We will kid." Emma said patting his back.
"Can we come too?" Emma turned around and saw a bunch of kids staring at her.
Emma didn't know what to say. "Umm…"
"Give her some time to rest and recover." Snow said.
"But we want to thank her. She saved us." A boy said.
"When she is feeling up to visitors, we will let you all know." David said. Emma could see how her parents were King and Queen. They knew how to handle their people and be leaders. She knew she would never be able to follow in their footsteps.
Everyone began to disperse, except for a few parents. "Do you know where our children are?" One parent asked.
"They didn't come out." Another parent added.
David had the hard job of telling them their children didn't make it. They began to cry as the news that their children were dead set in. Snow and David offered their condolences and their help if they needed anything. The group of parents nodded and slowly headed down to collect their children.
Cora and Regina spent the last two nights in Mandy's hospital room waiting for her to wake up. Many kids and their parents came to visit, wanting to thank Mandy and to offer their well wishes for the young girl to get better. Regina was really tired; she hadn't slept since the night of the hypnosis. She put her head in her hands and rested her eyes.
Emma knocked on the side of the glass door. "Hey, is it okay if we come in?"
Regina's head shot up. "Are you here to arrest me for killing those bitches?" She asked once she saw who was at the door.
Henry peaked his head in. "Witches…those witches." Regina said correcting herself when she saw Henry. She tried not to swear around him.
Emma shook her head. "I think I speak for everyone when I say, I'm happy their dead. Although, setting them on fire was a bit of an overkill, don't ya think?"
"They deserved it." Regina shot back crossing her arms.
Henry slipped past Emma and ran straight over to Regina; he wanted to stop them from fighting. He gave her a hug that she desperately needed. Her body relaxed when his arms wrapped around her waist; she really missed him. "Has Dr. Whale said anything yet?" He asked.
"Same as yesterday…" Cora said sighing. "I swear that man knows nothing."
"Maybe she'll wake up today!" He said hopefully. There was a long pause before anyone said anything.
"Emma, can I talk to you?" Regina asked.
Emma was surprised but she agreed to talk to her. She followed Regina out into the hall. "So…what's up?" She asked putting her hands on her hips.
"Look, Emma…I know I haven't made your life easy..."
"You can say that again." Emma mumbled interrupting Regina.
"But…" She gritted her teeth. "I wanted to…to thank you for saving Miranda's life."
Emma smiled. She knew how hard it was for Regina to say that to her. She liked this side of Regina and was hoping she would stay like this. "I would do it again in a heartbeat."
Regina smiled back. "I'm glad to hear that."
Emma didn't know what else to say. These conversations with Regina were usually awkward if they didn't have much to say or they were screaming at one another. "Well, I'm going to get a coffee. Do you want me to get you one?"
"No. You'd probably screw it up. I'll get my own." She said walking down the stairs.
"And she's back…" Emma muttered rolling her eye as she followed Regina.
Henry was standing by Mandy's bedside, while Cora was reading a magazine. "Who, in their right mind, would name their baby 'North'? That's a direction not a name." She said in disbelief staring at a picture of Kim Kardashian's new baby girl. "This family makes this town look sane."
Henry wasn't listening to Cora. He was too busy thinking about Mandy. "Is she ever going to wake up?"
Cora put the magazine down and walked up behind him. She placed her hand on his shoulders. "Eventually." She said sighing.
"What do you mean?" He asked looking up at her.
"If Emma knew exactly what she was doing, she would've woken up instantly. I'm not saying she didn't save her; it's just going to take longer than anticipated." She said.
Henry sighed looking back down at Mandy. Cora patted his shoulder. "I'm going to run to the bathroom. Stay here and keep her company." She instructed.
He lifted himself onto the bed. He tapped her hand and whispered, "Hey, wake up." No response. He didn't think it would actually work but he thought he'd give it a shot.
"Just wake up!" He said frustrated. "I miss my friend." He stared out the door, his back towards Mandy. He hated seeing her like this; all the scratches and bruises all over her body. He suddenly fell off the bed, almost as if he were pushed. He looked up from the floor with a confused look on his face. "What the…"
"You were taking up too much room on the bed…I had to kick you off." Mandy said giggling.
"Mandy! You're awake!" He exclaimed getting to his feet.
"You're very observant Henry…" She said sitting up.
"How do you feel?" He asked.
"Like I've been hit by truck…my body just doesn't want to move." She responded trying to stretch but it hurt too much.
"I have to tell everyone you're awake." He started to run out the door but Mandy stopped him.
"No. Henry! Wait. Come back." He walked back over to her.
"Why?" He asked.
She began asking him a ton of questions. "What happened? How long have I been sleeping? Did the kids make it out safely? Is Cora still mad at me? Is the..."
Henry interrupted. "Whoa! We're not playing 20 questions. And why would Cora be mad at you?"
"You don't know?" She asked.
"Know what?" He asked furrowing his eyebrows.
Mandy didn't know why but she was really embarrassed to tell Henry about her pregnancy. Her face got all red just thinking about it. "Henry, I'm pregnant."
"Whoa!" He took a minute to take in the news. "Is Peter the father?"
She hit his arm. "Of course he's the father! I don't sleep around, Henry!"
"I didn't mean to imply anything. " He said putting his hands up in defense.
Mandy rolled her eyes. "Just answer my questions."
Regina and Emma were sitting at a table sipping their coffee and trying to fill the awkward silence. "So…how's Henry been doing? I feel like I haven't seen him with everything going on." Regina said sipping her coffee.
"Actually Regina, I've been meaning to change that." Emma said playing with her coffee lid.
Regina arched her eyebrows. "Is that so?"
"Yes, you've really proven you're trying to change…although, setting the witches on fire did give me pause."
"Are you ever gonna drop that?" Regina asked annoyed.
She waved the question off. Emma knew it annoyed her and she liked to get on Regina's nerves. It made her laugh to see how easily it was to get under Regina's skin. "I can tell he misses you." She said seriously.
"I miss him too." She said before taking another sip of her coffee. She diverted her eyes, not wanting to look at Emma.
"What's wrong?" She asked noticing the brunettes change in behavior.
"It's nothing." She replied waving off Emma's concern.
"Regina, I can tell when something's wrong." Regina looked back up at Emma. "You hide it well, but I've known you long enough."
"I…I don't know how to tell Miranda." Regina finally said.
"Tell her what?" Emma asked before realizing what Regina was talking about. Her eyes grew wide. "Tell me she didn't lose the baby."
Regina nodded. "I know she was scared but I'm sure she wanted to keep it."
Emma sighed. "Regina, I'm so sorry. When did you find out?"
Regina twirled her almost empty cup. "The day we brought her here. They already did the procedure to remove the baby." Emma looked at her with sadness in her eyes when Regina started to cry. "She looked so small and helpless when they took her back for the procedure. I wanted to do something…anything." Regina said letting a single tear escape.
Emma reached her hand over to squeeze Regina's. "The only thing you can do is to be there for her. She's going to need you now more than ever."
Regina nodded. Emma was about to say something else but she noticed Regina's puzzled look. "What are you staring at?" She asked following Regina's gaze.
"My mother." She said angrily. She stood up and quickly stormed over to the older woman, with Emma quickly following her.
"Mother, what are you doing down here?" Regina asked her eyes full of rage.
"A woman can't go to the bathroom without being questioned?" Cora shot back.
"You could've at least waited until we got back. You know I want someone in her room at all times." Regina yelled.
"I left the boy up there." Cora said.
"Cora, are you crazy?!" Emma exclaimed.
"Only a little bit dear; Wonderland does that to you." She responded.
Regina didn't want to listen to her anymore. She raced up the stairs followed by Emma.
Cora walked up the stairs slowly. "She's either awake or still sleeping." Cora shouted up to them. "Stop freaking out." She mumbled to herself.
Regina and Emma reached the top of the stairs at the same time. They saw Mandy sitting up with Henry by her side talking to her. Regina smiled with tears in her eyes. "She's awake!"
Cora was out of breath when she reached the top of the stairs. "Why didn't we take the elevator?" She whined. She couldn't see past Emma and Regina so she pushed them out of the way. " Maybe it was a good idea to leave the boy alone with her." She said crossing her arms and smiling at Regina.
"Oh, shut up Mother!" She said before running towards the room.
Emma tried to hide her laughter but Cora caught her. "That's enough out of you, Miss Swan." She said eyeing the woman before walking to her granddaughter's room.
"Miranda!" Regina exclaimed when she ran into her room and stood next to Henry.
"Hi mom." She said as cheerful as she could.
Regina leaned down and grabbed her chin. "Do you know how badly you scared me?"
"Sorry." Mandy replied lowering her eyes. Regina kissed her forehead. "I'm just glad you're alright."
"Henry, why didn't you come get us when she woke up?!" Emma asked angrily.
"I'm afraid that's my fault Emma. I told him to stay. He filled me in on everything that happened since the whole witch debacle." Mandy said in a tiny voice. "I can't believe you set them on fire!" She said to Regina in an approving tone.
"It was quite the show." Cora added smiling wickedly.
Regina let them stay for a little while longer. She thought it would be good for Mandy before she had to tell her about the baby. Mandy seemed to be enjoying their company and she liked having Henry with her.
Emma soon received the look from Regina that meant it was time to go. "Hey kid, I think we should get going. Give Mandy some time to rest."
"But I'm hanging out with Mandy." He whined.
"And I've rested long enough, let him stay." Mandy begged.
"You'll see each other tomorrow." Emma replied.
"But…" The kids said in unison.
Regina interrupted. "Miranda, you need to rest."
"And Henry you have homework to do." Emma added.
"No I don't." He replied.
"Yes. You do." Emma quickly said trying to convince him that they needed to leave now.
"Fine." He said reluctantly. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mandy." He said before following Emma out the door.
Regina slowly walked over to Mandy and sat on the bed facing her. "Miranda, I have to tell you something." She said her voice becoming very serious as she took hold of Mandy's hands. Mandy looked scared as she sat up a little more waiting for what Regina had to say.
"Why couldn't we stay longer?" Henry whined when they were a few feet away from Mandy's hospital door.
Emma looked down at her feet trying to find the right words. "Look kid…"
"Just tell me!" Henry interrupted. He was tired of her sugar coating everything for him.
"Mandy's pregnant." She said quickly.
"Yea, I know. She told me." He said shrugging it off.
"Well…she's not pregnant anymore." She said sadly.
Henry looked confused. "What do you mean?"
"She lost the baby, Henry." Emma said sighing. Henry looked through the glass window at Mandy who was just receiving the news herself. He saw her begin to cry and Regina pulling her close. He wanted to run in there and give her a giant hug but Emma wouldn't let him. She needed time alone.
So I hope you're not too upset. Let me know what you think. I love the reviews, keep em coming!