I own nothing except my delusions.
Taking a deep breath of open air, Emma felt herself relax, thankful to be away from the smell of antiseptic from the hospital. She was dying shower and wear her own pajamas to get rid of the memories of the uncomfortable gown she had had to wear.
"Good to be out?" her mother teased from beside her.
"Oh yeah," Emma replied.
Mary Margaret chuckled. "Come on. We'll make you something good at home."
She directed Emma to the passenger side of the car, insisting on driving. Despite being discharged, her parents wanted her to take things slowly, including taking a few more days off before she returned to the station.
Even with her days off, she knew she would be working, dividing her days between looking for a way to stop their witch and finding a way to get rid of Killian's curse.
Immediately planning to shower as soon as she got in, she relaxed as Mary Margaret took them back, watching buildings pass by them.
"You need help getting out?" she asked before leaving the car.
Mary Margaret shook her head, smiling in amusement. "I'm fine. For now, at least."
Smiling in return, Emma pushed herself out, only slightly wincing slightly from the pain in her side.
She nearly collapsed on her bed as soon as she entered her room, only refraining to go get cleaned up in her own shower.
Almost reluctant to turn off the water, she quickly dried off and dressed in her most comfortable pajamas, mindful of her bandages, before sprawling on her bed.
Grabbing on to her phone, she silently debated for a moment and breaking down to send a message.
10:41- Hey, think you want to come over or I go see you tonight?
She hit send before she could second guess it.
Killian hadn't been by the night before, sending her a message apologizing and saying that the hospital had been too much for him, too many people in a place that was too strange. She wasn't angry or even really hurt, knowing that as good as he'd been, he was still adjusting.
Knowing she wouldn't be getting a response anytime soon, she got up to find something to eat, dying for anything other than the bland hospital food.
The aroma of chicken pot pie cooking filled her senses as she descended the steps, making her stomach growl loudly.
"Your first day of freedom," Mary Margaret said from the counter, a steaming mug of tea in her hands. "What are you gonna do?"
Emma shrugged. "No idea."
"No word from Killian?" her mother asked.
Shaking her head, Emma moved to gather what she needed for hot chocolate. "No, not yet. But he can't exactly answer any calls right now."
Mary Margaret nodded. "He will later."
Finishing making up her drink, Emma pulled up one of the chairs at the breakfast bar. The warmth of her drink chased away the chill in her hand, giving her a sense of familiarity.
"Regina wants me to meet her tomorrow for another magic lesson," she told her mother.
Her brow raised in surprise, Mary Margaret leaned back against the counter. "Do you think you'll be up for that?"
Emma shrugged. "It doesn't really matter. I have to be. I need to learn to control my magic and defeat this witch."
"But isn't it too soon?" Mary Margaret questioned.
Shaking her head, Emma took a sip of her drink. "Doesn't matter."
Mary Margaret sighed unhappily as the timer went off, signaling her to pull the pies from the oven.
Emma found herself nearly bored out of her mind before groaning, remembering it was only her first day out.
She knew it would be one thing if she chose to do nothing, but being left no choice in the matter made her ready to climb the walls. She couldn't go out because her side was still tender, as well as painful if irritated, and was to stay away from the station for a couple days. She had no idea how to pass the time aside from shadowing her mother, but knew it wasn't the most appealing option, given that even pregnant, Mary Margaret insisted on Emma taking it easy.
"Oh, I almost forgot," Mary Margaret said suddenly from her spot on the couch watching an old movie. "Later on I have a midwife coming in for an interview."
Emma looked up from her book of curses in surprise. "You're still wanting to do that?"
Mary Margaret nodded. "Yeah, I am. I think it would be a good idea to have some more help. She wants David here when she comes over so she can meet us both."
"Isn't that kind of demanding?" Emma asked with a raised brow.
"She said it's best she meets both the parents at the same time, to get a read on them and determine how best to assist the couple," Mary Margaret responded calmly.
Guilt suddenly shot through Emma, realizing the difficult situation David was in. "Does me being off make it too hard on David?"
Mary Margaret shook her head fiercely. "Emma, don't even worry about that. David would be saying the same. You need time to heal, and it's okay. Just let us take care of you."
Suddenly feeling overwhelmed, Emma nodded, not used to being taken care of. It was a slow process, but she was slowly becoming accustomed to it from her parents and Killian.
"Do you want me out when she comes?" Emma asked, keeping her emotions in check.
"No, you can do whatever you want," Mary Margaret responded. "Just relax, Emma. You can be upstairs sleeping, you can meet her, or whatever you want. Just take it easy."
Slowly, Emma nodded. "Okay. Who is she, anyway?"
"Her name is Zelena," Mary Margaret replied. "She just came over here from the last curse. She was a midwife back in the Enchanted Forest. I met her the other day in Granny's, and decided she might be what I'm looking for."
Feeling uneasy, Emma bit her lip. "Are you sure about her? I mean, if she came over here with the new people, don't you think that's a risk?"
"I did think about that," Mary Margaret admitted. "But why would the Wicked Witch be interested in becoming a midwife? I think she's safe."
Not able to completely shake the feeling, Emma nodded.
"So when will she be over?" she asked.
"Around five," Mary Margaret hummed. "I'm gonna call David in a little bit to make sure he remembers."
Emma nodded. She glanced at the clock, seeing it was just after three. Knowing there was a while before the midwife would be arriving, much less the sun would be setting, she debated on napping. She felt tired, knowing it was from her painkillers and from finally being home.
"Do you mind if I go up and sleep for a bit?" she asked her mother.
Mary Margaret nodded, smiling warmly. "Of course. You need to heal. Sleep is good for you right now."
Smiling in return, Emma retreated to her room. Before collapsing on her bed, she quietly crept over to her dresser, pulling open one of the drawers she cleared for Killian and pulling a soft black tee shirt from it. Bundling it up beside her pillow, she let his scent envelop her as she pulled the quilt over her and set her phone up by her pillow, the warmth of her own bed quickly pulling her under.
Jerking awake, Emma's eyes immediately made out the figure of her mother from the top of the stairs, realizing Mary Margaret had woken her.
"Sorry," Mary Margaret apologized. "I wanted to make sure you ate something. How are you feeling?"
"It's okay," Emma replied, pushing herself to sit up and ignoring the pain on her side. "I'm fine, just hurt a little bit."
Mary Margaret nodded. "Well, we saved you some dinner. Why don't you eat and take some more of your medication?"
Glancing at the clock beside her bed, Emma flinched in surprise, seeing it was after nine.
"Yeah, great," she said, suddenly wanting nothing more than to check her phone. "I'll be down in just a second."
Mary Margaret left her alone, her soft footfalls reaching Emma's ears as she descended the stairs.
Emma nearly dove for her phone, exhaling in relief at the notification that she had a message, Killian's name displayed on it. She felt her heart sink as she opened it, the written words not what she had hoped.
8:17- Sorry love, but not tonight. I still need some time.
Her disappointment didn't surprise her, but she wasn't annoyed with him, only wanting to be able to see him again. She wanted things to return to normal as possible, including being able to see Killian as much as their circumstances would allow. She missed him, even if it had only been a few days.
Checking the time again, she quickly wrote out a response.
9:23- Ok. Just let me know how you're doing and when I can see you again?
She didn't receive a response back.
Author's note: I hope you all had a good holiday and New Year's! I will say this, it feels really good to be back! I know this chapter may not be what you all expected, but the reasoning behind it will become clear very soon.
Teaser: "Hey, at least you're not risking starting a war," he replied lightly.
Review?