Again only one chapter, life has gotten busy... sorry.
Killian awoke early the next morning, the sun had not risen yet but a thick blanket of snow lay on the ground giving the outside world a eerie glow. He had not seen snow this thick in a very long time, Neverland did not have such a thing. He thought back to the happy days spent as a child when snow had held wonder and excitement and how that had changed when he grew into a man and joined the Navy, it had become a very different affair then. Heavy snow at sea could mean life or death situations but right here right now he just thought that it looked pretty.
A noise from Emma's bed had him turning to make sure she was all right but the sight before him had him gripping his ribs against the laughter that threatened to escape him. She lay in her bed, hair everywhere. Her mouth hung wide open and she had just started to give a light snore, the best thing by far though was the fact that she had somehow managed to grasp that blasted pink bear that the Prince had bestowed upon him for that damned picture he had taken. Emma had tossed it on to her bed after it had mysteriously ended up on the floor more times than you could count, eventually realizing that it's place was not at his bedside. She gripped it tight in her arms holding it close in the crook of her right arm.
David would find this amusing, he didn't need to think twice. He grabbed the iPad and manged to activate the camera, Henry really was a good teacher. He tried to take the photo quickly but the flash bounced around the room several times and he feared for a second that she would catch him when she murmured something but to his relief she just turned over to face the wall and continued to sleep.
He sat staring at the photo, yes, Emma was going to kill him but perhaps he could bring some humor back into their lives. It was nearly Christmas after all and he was finally realizing that he had something to look forward to again. Emma had convinced him to talk to the grasshopper, he was a little confused as to why he would be willing to help him after he nearly stuck his hook through his head but apparently he had said that everybody deserved a second chance.
He was nervous about speaking to the man but knew he needed to do something, he had thought that once he remembered what had happened that night that the nightmares would leave him but alas if anything they had increased. Henry's music was of some help but sometimes nothing worked, he could still hear Devin's voice in the back of his mind just waiting to take control but he was done with it all, nobody controlled his life but him so if it meant talking to the bug for the sake of his sanity so be it.
He sat starring at the photo for the longest time then a sudden thought struck, maybe he could send it to David and Henry, they would surely appreciate the humor in that act. He fiddled about with the iPad for what seemed like an eternity and finally after several failed attempts he managed to attach the photo to a message, he glanced at the clock, it was nearly seven thirty so both would surely be awake by now. His finger hovered over the message as he had a sudden moment of doubt but then the Devil on his other shoulder won and he hit send, the message went with a "swoosh", he sat there with a huge grin on his face. Yes, he was a dead man.
ONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATIMEONCEUPONATMEONCEUPONATIME
The morning passed quite quickly, Whale had done his rounds, he'd removed Hook's IV line and cleared him to start his pool sessions the next morning. Her Mom had arrived just before nine thirty with Henry, school was canceled due to the snow. She had not seen him smile so much in a long time.
"You're a too funny Killian, I like it" He said, voice full of laughter
"Aye?" Hook replied grin plastered on his face, she had no idea what they were talking about but before she had a chance to ask, Henry spun around to face her.
"Mom Can I go and build a snowman outside? Pleeeeeeeeease" he pleaded.
"Sure Kid, wrap up warm and don't go too far from this window, I want to be able to see the result without going outside" she said warmly
In truth she wanted him where she could see him still not used to the idea that they could all relax a little. He practically ran from the room and after a few minutes she saw him run into view, she was one flight up but could see him clearly, his face practically glowing with joy. She stood by the window watching him as he worked, narrating to Hook what was going on.
"I wn't t' see" his raspy voice sounded out behind her
She was about to shoot him down but when she looked at him held such a hopeful expression that she couldn't do it. She managed to wrestle the recliner chair, with the help of her Mom, over to the window and after a few minutes he was sitting up staring out in wonder. She grabbed his blankets and covered his legs to make sure he didn't get a chill but he never even seemed to notice her as she worked, too intent on watching her Son who had clearly seen him and was waving like a mad man.
The three of them sat and watched as Henry worked, he built a huge base then two smaller parts, clearly the body and the head but he couldn't lift them. She was just about to go out and help him when Ruby showed up, she placed her basket down for a few minutes and helped him to get them in place then looked up at the window and waved after talking to Henry, Hook gave an enthusiastic wave back that had him gripping his ribs but never removing the smile from his face.
A few minutes later Ruby walked through he door.
"It's FREEZING out there!" she shivered before hugging Mary-Margaret tightly "I would have been here earlier but Granny's been doing laundry again and I couldn't find my new sweatshirt, it's the cutest thing you'll ever see. It's bright red with snowflakes and wolves on it, she says that she didn't touch it, I swear if she's shrunk it and just isn't telling me there'll be trouble"
She suddenly seemed to realize that she'd been rambling and looked quite flustered for a second before remembering the basket in her hand.
"Hook, I hope you are ready for this" she practically yelled across to him which had him turning to look at her in confusion.
She pulled a thermos out of the basket but his face didn't change, he didn't know what it was. Emma watched as Ruby moved over to his wheeled table. She poured the contents out into a large bowl from the diner then grabbed a spoon out of the basket. Hook suddenly got the idea of where this was going. He hadn't eaten anything in more than a mouth and this soup smelt amazing, Emma's mouth was instantly watering, He inhaled deeply and an almost feral look appeared on his face as Ruby pushed the table over to where he sat.
They all sat and watched as he took up the spoon, it was a little awkward, his hand and wrist still painful to bend but he managed. The first spoonful went in and his eyes rolled in pleasure at the taste, he savored it for a few seconds then swallowed it down only giving a small grimace before scooping up another mouthful. He finished the bowl in minutes, by the time he was nearing the end Emma could see he was struggling both with the awkward movement and with his fullness. He had lost a lot of weight, weight that he couldn't really afford to lose but it was going to take time to get him back to full meals. Little and often was what they were going for at the minute and he had taken the first meal with no issue. He looked tired as she walked over to his side.
"You want to go back to bed? You look beat" she asked
He shook his head and pointed out the window, he wanted to watch Henry.
"OK. How about a compromise? I recline your chair a bit and you can stay here but you don't fight sleep, if you get tired you take a nap. OK? Deal?"
"Aye Deal" he croaked in return before turning to Ruby
"Than' Y'" his voice dipped out but the meaning was clear.
"No problem, it's got to better than hospital food, right" she gave him a wide toothy smile
"Aye" he replied raising an eyebrow
"Right, that's enough vocal exercises for today Mister" Emma chastised "You heard Whale, do not over use that voice"
He gave her a salute and a wink as she moved his chair so that he was more reclined. She knew her plan would work, he lay for a full ten minutes before sleep took him. She looked out the window as Henry worked. He finally finished when her Dad showed up and removed his own scarf and wrapped it around the Snowman's neck. They took a photo of Henry standing next to his creation and came back into the room.
Henry took David's cell and sent the photo to Hook's iPad so that he could see the result when he awoke. Emma sat next to him and as she watched him flick through the photos in the album one caught her eye. What was that? She grabbed to iPad from Henry's grasp, he yelled and laughed loudly but she just held it higher as she scrolled back... why, that good for nothing Pirate had clearly been having fun at her expense and she had been the one defending him in the "Pink Bear" debacle, Oh this was war Pirate, two can play at that game, bring it on!
