AN: I know it's been a while. Hopefully this chapter has been worth the wait. I'd love to hear theories of who you think the doctor and nurse are so please leave a review. The next updates should be quicker.
The Enchanted Forest
Eight years ago
"Chess? Again? You sure your ego can handle losing to me?"
Cora laughed a little as she watched the two of them interact. Henry ran into the room a second later, scared and crying, and was scooped up by his father. They spoke a few more words. She watched, somewhat enviously of the family her daughter had created.
"One hug."
Her eyes stung when her grandson lifted his arms around his mother's neck. She waved her hand in front of the mirror, made the image go away and was forced to face her reflection. She bowed her head and took a moment to compose herself.
"Mum?"
She looked up and swiped away a half-formed tear. "Yes, dear?"
Her look was worried. Zelena walked forward and gave her a pointed look, clearly disapproving. "You shouldn't be using magic."
"Has your arm healed?" Cora deflected.
She looked at it in its bandaged sling. "Not... quite... yet. It'll be fine in a few-"
"Come here," she said shaking her head. She waved her hand over the arm and it was engulfed in a light purple smoke. "There," she smiled.
The slung disappeared. Zelena lifted her arm and gave it an experimental twist. She wiggled her fingers then lowered her arm with a small amazed laugh.
"You should have let me see to it sooner," she scolded.
"You shouldn't be using magic," she said again. Her eyes flicked to the mirror.
Cora followed her gaze and sighed. "I miss her," she said softly as way of explanation.
Zelena hesitated then came closer to offer her mother a hug. There was a long moment of silence. She pulled back. "The beans I retrieved from Neverland... We can use them. You can see her again."
"No. No," she shook her head. "I can't ask that of you. Not after you risked your life facing... him."
Zelena blinked, taken aback - she felt almost insulted. "I survived," she said haughtily.
"No," she stressed. "We have none to spare. We must complete what we set out to do." She turned to the balcony of the Dark Castle. "I've waited decades, what's a few years more?"
Zelena sighed, recognizing her mother's stubborn nature and resigned speech.
"Alright." She stepped back. She turned to go, then remembered why she sought her out, and faced her mother with a cringe. "There's something I need to tell you." Cora made a sound for her to continue. "The shadow..."
She spun around. "What about the shadow?" she asked, voice dangerous.
Zelena winced. "It... It escaped."
Storybrooke
Present
Her drowsiness was visible in her half-lidded eyes. "Who are you?"
The door opened. He looked to it, shared a look with the man who entered, then touched her hair and said in a soothing voice, "Your doctor is here."
Regina's eyes closed.
...
"This'll keep her sedated for a few hours, you say?" the doctor asked the nurse.
"Yes." He ripped the ridiculous surgical mask from his face and looked around anxiously. "How exactly do you plan to get her out of here? We're in the middle of a hospital and she's probably the most important patient."
He shrugged. "She requested another doctor. We'll call for a... A cesarean section. A c-sec. We-"
"That's out of this room," he cut across incredulously. He couldn't believe the man standing across from him. "I meant the building."
"Two of the operating rooms have exits leading to outside, allowing ambulance patients to be seen to quicker."
He reached behind the bed and freed it from the wall. It had wheels to be moved easier. The nurse moved to the door quickly and opened it.
"A4 is currently vacant."
...
The doors of operating room A4 flew open as a doctor and nurse sped in a still pregnant woman.
...
Kathryn found him in the lobby, leaned forward on one of those unbearably uncomfortable chairs they placed in the hallways and waiting rooms. His leg bounced nervously on the ground. His hands were clasped in front of him like he was praying.
She sat down next to him, but David only noticed her when she touched his shoulder.
"You okay?"
He shook his head and looked away. "She uh..." His voice was heavy with emotion. He took a breath. "She's unconscious. They just wheeled her out of here. They're... They're gonna do a c-sec..." he shook his head and looked down. "To try and get him out in case she..." He swallowed. "In case she..."
He bent forward, head in his hands. His shoulders shook. Kathryn rubbed his back. She knew better than to offer words of comfort. He calmed after a few minutes. She squeezed his shoulder. He touched her hand. A few seconds passed. His head snapped up.
"Henry," he said, as if just remembering him. "And the twins. I left them alone at the house and-"
"It's okay," she soothed, stopping him when he tried to get up. "David, they'll be fine for a few hours."
...
Ava was washing dishes. Technically they hadn't used any this evening. They ate the pizza straight from the oven tray as they waited for Regina and drank canned soda when they helped David with the nursery.
They moved the furniture as per his instruction, got rid of some of the shelves (there was only two long ones now, on the two walls adjacent to the wall with the window) and assembled the crib - which they then moved to the center of the room. With those small changes, the room looked way better now. It actually looked like a nursery.
David still wanted to paint it. He'd taken measurements of the walls and she'd logged them down as Henry and Nicholas carried a small table up the stairs and placed it next to the rocking chair.
They'd taken a break, were sitting drinking soda and chatting when the call happened. David's face dropped, his smile replaced by frantic concern. He excused himself. The three of them sat in tense silence and waited for him to return. When he did, he wore a mask of calm that Ava saw right through. Putting on a good face for Henry, she thought as she rinsed a glass. And maybe us too, she allowed.
He gave a very brief explanation of a small fire at the Mayor's Office. Regina and Emma were at the hospital now, with Graham.
"Nothing to worry about," he assured, soothing Henry's panic. But Ava didn't really buy that. His speech was too forced and shoulders too tense. He was lying. Even if he was trying to convince himself of it too.
She kept those thoughts to herself though.
Henry was worried enough already. He was optimistic for the first hour they spent waiting - they'd tried to watch a movie - but halfway through Ghostbusters an anxious air grew around them, threatened to suffocate them. Silence settled in. No one spoke. Her brother drifted off to his room. Henry remained glued to his seat next to the house phone, watching it like a hawk.
Ava ended up in the kitchen. Nicholas was supposed to load and set the dishwasher that afternoon, but, when checking it, Ava saw he forgot to put it on. She unloaded it and began washing the dishes by hand.
It was a calming activity, she reasoned. Henry drew. Nicholas smashed the buttons on his video game controller and yelled at the TV screen. Ava cleaned to clear her head. It was weird, she knew, but effective.
Now finished, she moved to dry the dishes. The doorbell rang. She dried her hands, slung the cloth over her shoulder and went to the door.
Ava stopped a few feet from it. Something was off. The hairs on the back of her neck rose and her spine stiffened. Her body tensed, limbs went still, coiled, preparing for the flight or fight reflex. Her entire body was on red alert. Danger, her gut warned. Years of scavenging around for food and stealing from convenient stores had refined this sixth sense of Ava's. She was a thief, and thieves had to be aware of the danger of their surroundings.
The doorbell rang again. She took a breath and moved forward so stealthily her feet barely made a sound on the hardwood below. She heard footsteps and looked behind her quickly. Henry stepped out of the living room. He halted at her look. Someone knocked on the door. Loud, harsh, impatient knocks. Henry's eyes widened. Ava brought her finger to her lips, mouthing, "shh," to him. He swallowed and nodded.
Another breath in, Ava gestured for him to go up the stairs. He did. She stepped forward. She planned to sneak around the corner and catch a glimpse of the person behind the door through the glass on the side of it.
The handle rattled. Fear. Fast, immediate and overwhelming fear gripped Ava. The door, thankfully, was locked. She backed away from it and moved to the stairs. Henry was still there. He stared at her with wide frightened eyes. She grabbed his shoulders and pushed him upward. They took the stairs quickly, their footsteps surprisingly quietly.
A metallic scratching sound came from the door.
They're picking the lock, she realised.
She knew the sound well. She and Nicholas used to pick locks when they needed a place to sleep. That was before they found the abandoned house Emma caught them in.
A whispered curse came from outside. They were at the top of the stairs now. She looked through one of the glass windows and saw two dark forms at the door. Boys, she saw with a frown. Teenagers. The one was tall, probably sixteen or seventeen, and the other was shorter. He looked about fourteen. They were making progress with the lock. The one moved and the light glimmered off a black object on his hip. It looked like... a gun? A gun. A gun! Henry gasped when he saw it too. That spurred her into action. She grabbed his hand.
"You remember the escape plan you told me and Nicholas about?"
He nodded quickly. Then his eyes widened in understanding. "Y-yeah. Go to my room. It's under my bed. I'll get Nick."
"Hurry," she urged.
She went for his room, pulled the rolled up sheets out from under his bed and attached it to the old heater in his room. She opened the windows and threw the sheets out quickly. "Just in case," Henry had said, a small smirking smile on his face. Just in case, she thought now. The door opened. Henry and Nicholas came in and locked the door behind them
"We have to go," Ava exclaimed in a whisper when Henry started rummaging through his cupboard.
Henry ignored her and grabbed his backpack from the floor. He shoved a few things into it. Nicholas pulled something out of his pocket.
"Where'd you a cellphone?" she asked when he started dialing on it.
He ignored her. "Damn it," he cursed when he brought the phone to his ear. He hung up and dialed another number.
...
"Shit!" she startled. "Sorry," she said, taking a step back.
"It's okay," August smiled. "I've actually been meaning to bump into you. Not in the literal sense, but I suppose this works too." His smirk fell away and his eyes widened in concern. "What happened to your arms?"
Emma shrugged. "Burned myself making lobster."
"What?" he laughed. "How?"
She laughed at how easily he believed her. She shook her head. "I'm kidding. There was a fire at city hall." She lifted her arms. "Battle scars," she dismissed.
"A... fire?" he repeated dubiously. "Gas leak?"
Her brow furrowed. "No. Actually I'm not too sure what caused it. It's been..." she sighed, thinking back on the last few hours. "It's been a crazy night."
He nodded sympathetically but didn't ask about it. She appreciated that about August. He didn't pry.
"I should actually go check it out," Emma realised with a sigh.
Technically that was Graham's job - he was sheriff. But it was clear he wasn't going to leave the hospital any time soon. She couldn't stand it there any longer, had to take a walk to clear her head. That's how she ended up just mindlessly wondering through town and walking into August.
"Mind if I tag along?" he asked. "There's something I wanna talk to you about."
His sudden seriousness confused her, but she nodded. "Sure."
...
He was breathing fast as he dialed the number again, fingers fumbling in his haste. "David! It's Nick," he said quickly. "Someone's trying to break into the house. There's two of them. Ava saw them. One has a gun. We're in Henry's room."
Henry pulled his backpack onto his shoulders and moved to the window. He looked down.
"That's really far down," he breathed, afraid.
Something crashed downstairs. They all jumped. "David, they're in the house now," Nicholas said, voice filled with fear. "Go," he mouthed to them.
Ava sprung into motion and urged Henry toward the window. "You go first. When you get down run to the backyard. Don't let them see you," she warned.
He nodded and climbed out even though he was shaking. He clung to the sheets. "Woah," he yelped when he swung a bit. "We should have gone out the back door," he said, voice smaller than a squeak.
There was another crash from downstairs. Ava's head whipped to the sound then back out the window. "Henry," she urged.
"Right, I know. Just..." He looked down then back up at her. "I'm scared," he admitted.
A moment passed before she admitted, "Me too." He looked at her quickly, swallowed down his fear and began climbing.
Nicholas hung up. "David and Graham's on their way." Ava put an arm on her brother's back and steered him toward the window. He took a breath and swung his leg over. "This feels familiar," he sighed.
She paused to look around the room, to see if there was anything else they needed. Where were they even going, she wondered. The hospital. Emma, Graham, David and Regina were there. No, David and Graham were heading this way. She racked her brain for a place for a few seconds then decided they could figure it out after they got out of the mansion. She ran back to the window and looked out. Henry was already on the ground, looking up. Nicholas was about halfway down their makeshift rope.
A shot was fired. She ducked instinctively. Laughter from downstairs. More things broke. She got up quickly and looked down. Nicholas was on the ground, sprawled. He must have startled and fell the last few feet, she guessed. He got up quickly, rolling one shoulder and hissing. She scrambled out the window and climbed down so fast her gym teacher would have died of shock. Another shot. She jumped the last few feet and rolled as she hit the ground to prevent injury. She jumped up quickly.
"What now?" Nick asked, whispering as they ran to the backyard. "Should we go the neighbours?"
"I don't know, what did my dad say?" Henry asked at the same time Ava exclaimed, "We don't even know the neighbours."
Another shot. They all ducked and froze. A thud - a door slammed open - before a loud whistle rang through the night. They turned back to see a boy leaning out the window.
"Felix," he yelled. "He's out here." He was the younger one, Ava saw. A wicked smirk took his face. He looked at her. No, next to her. "Henry," the boy smiled. She turned her head to the side and saw the colour drain from the younger boy's face.
"Run," Nicholas decided, grabbing Henry and Ava's hands and pushing them in front of him.
They made it to the street. Another shot went off. Fear cut her down to the core. She would have stayed there frozen if Henry didn't stumble into her and push her forward.
"Now, they're just wasting bullets," Nick laughed nervously.
"The graveyard," Henry panted as they ran between the trees that led to the forest. "We need to go to the graveyard. To my mom's vault. We'll be safe there."
She looked at Nick. He looked at her. "It's not the worst place in the world," he reasoned. "No one will think of it."
She nodded and they all went off in that direction. It's the last place anyone would look. The burglars would probably assume they'd go some place more public, more central to the town and people.
"And if they find us," Nick said, huffing a breath, "at least we'll get to pick our graves."
...
They shut the doors from inside after the assisting nurse left.
"They will notice," the nurse stressed. "In minutes!"
"I know!"
"You know!" he repeated. "You know! What then? What are we to do then? 'Be discreet,' she said. Discreet!"
"The options are discretion or her death," the doctor replied lowly. "He's not backing down. You saw that fire..."
He groaned as he ran a hand through his hair. The doctor freed Regina from her medical bonds, the IV drip and whatnot, and lifted her off the bed. They moved to the back exit and loaded her into the white van they borrowed from Moe French's flower shop. It had a medical stretcher in the back. They placed her onto it.
"Wouldn't it have been easier to get an ambulance?" the man called William asked. He shut the doors of the van and walked around the vehicle to the front.
The doctor locked the hospital doors from the outside then broke the key off in the lock. "Yes. But also more noticeable. She did say be discreet."
He rolled his eyes and got in the passenger seat. "What about her boy? Henry?"
The other man started the van. "Checked on him before I came here. He's with his father."
"His father was in the waiting room."
He paused. "Well, I'm sure he's fine. The prince probably sent someone to the house." The nurse was about to speak. He cut him off, "We can check on him later. Our main priority is her. Her Majesty will kill us if we let any further harm come to her."
"And if we allow Pan's lackeys to get to the boy first? What do you imagine she'll do then?"