Chapter Forty: The Hospital

Everything hurt.

Everywhere was black.

Emma slowly blinked her eyes awake, as she felt every bone in her body aching. Her head was dizzy and pounding and something was pressuring her hand and stomach. It wasn't uncomfortable, in fact, it was welcomed. Emma's body knew that pressure. She treasured.

Thirsty.

Her throat was so dry. She tried to swallow but no saliva came down. And even the act of trying to swallow hurt. When was the last time she drank any water?

Lights.

Emma opened her eyes but had to close them again. The lights were bright, too bright for her. They hurt, just like everything else.

"Emma?"

An Angel.

The velvety sound of Regina calling her name always reminded her of heaven. That what Regina was to her. Heaven. Home. Her voice called out her name again, and Emma wanted to go to her but she was so tired. Too tired. She needed to sleep. Just a little nap before she goes to the voice. Go to her home.

"Emma?"

Her velvety voice again. God, how Emma wanted to hear Regina calling her out her name over and over and over again.

"Emma, please. Come back to me!"

Come back? Back from where? She was right here! Why couldn't Regina see her? And why did she sound so worried? Did something happen to her? Was she hurt? NO! Emma blinked her eyes awake and slowly, adjusting to the lights on top of her. Why was everything so bright? Where was she?

"Emma?" Regina whispered squeezing her hand.

"Thirsty"

"I don't know if I can give you any water," Regina said "I'm going to call Dr. Whale just don't… just don't close your eyes again, okay?"

Whale? Why did Regina need Whale to give her water? Emma adjusted her eyes and tried to move her head, but it hurt. She tried to push the pain away and move her body, but that hurt even more. The lights stopped bothering her and Emma took a look at her surroundings. She was in the hospital. But why? She closed her eyes again, even though Regina had asked her not to and the events of the day before came rushing all at once. She remembered everything.

Regina.

The talk.

Emma felt her eyes fill with tears and that had nothing to do with the pain she was in. Not the physical one, anyway. She needed to talk to Regina. She needed to tell her what she did and possibly lose the only person she had ever truly love.

"Emma, what's wrong?" Regina said next to her while taking her hand between hers "Where does it hurt?"

"Regina, I need to tell you something," Emma said.

"It can wait," Regina said softly.

"No, Regina, it can't" Emma cried "I need to tell you…"

"No, you don't," Regina said "Whatever it is, it can wait"

"Regina…"

"I don't want us to fight anymore, Emma," Regina said "I love you. I love you so much"

"I love you too," Emma whispered back.

"When they called me last night saying you were in a car crash, I felt like someone was squeezing my heart inside my chest. If you had died…" Regina cried.

"This isn't on you," Emma said softly.

"My last words to you would have been out of anger, and I love you so much"

"Regina, please," Emma said, the tears running freely down her face now.

"I shouldn't have called you. If I hadn't asked you to pick me up at the stables you would have been home. You would have been safe"

"Regina, I…"

"Sorry to interrupt," Dr. Whale said entering the room "But I need to check on her"

"Dr. Wale! She said she was thirsty," Regina said looking at him "Can I give her some water?"

"I'll ask the nurse to bring some ice chips," Whale said to Regina "And you, Sheriff. That was quite an accident"

"The road was slippery," Emma said back.

"Right! The road," Whale said sarcastically.

Dr. Whale examined Emma, first her pupils and reflex before moving to check on her head injury. Emma had hit her head pretty hard when the bug crashed and the glass from the windows left a laceration on her forehead. Fortunately, all her exams came back clear (except for the blood), and the cut in her forehead as nasty as it was just a cut and it would heal. There was no swelling on her brain and even though her body was bruised and in pain, nothing was broken. She got lucky!

Not long after Dr. Whale left, a nurse came in with ice chips. Regina took it from her and gently put the chips on Emma's mouth. Emma sucked every single one of them with vigor. When she was done, Regina sat by her and held her hand between hers. She gently kissed Emma's face and when she tried to tell her again the thing she needed, Regina silenced her. It would be time for that, but not now. As much as Emma knew that she needed to tell Regina what happened, that was a deal she was more than happy to accept.

Later that day, David came in to visit. He wrote the report on the accident but the blood test had mysteriously vanished from his desk. Emma thanked him with a weak and embarrassed smile but he warned her to never let that happen again. That was a promise she knew she could keep. She would never do that again. The accident had been horrible and Emma couldn't stop thinking what if…what if Regina was in the car? What if she had managed to get to the stable? What if the accident happened after Emma picked her up? What if was Regina in that hospital bed now instead? Because of her! Because of yet another foolish mistake. Emma shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut, but she couldn't prevent the tears from falling.

"Emma, what's wrong?" Regina asked holding her head "Do you need me to call Whale?"

"No" Emma whispered "I'm sorry, Regina"

"You have nothing to be sorry about," Regina said softly "I'm just glad you are here. That we have a second chance"

"I love you, Regina"

"I love you too," Regina smiled.

"Hi," a voice said by the door "Can I come in?"

"Elsa" Regina said "Yes, come on in"

"Hey, Els,"

"Emma! You scared the shit out of me, did you know that?" Elsa said next to her.

"I'm sorry," Emma smiled weakly "But I'm all good now"

"You are?" Elsa asked playfully.

"She isn't" Regina smile "Elsa, do you mind staying with Emma while I go find Dr. Whale?"

"Sure," Elsa said.

"Why do you need him?"

"It's been two hours since he last came in. He needs to check on you again"

"Babe…" Emma laughed.

"What? He does!" Regina said standing up "I'll be right back.

Regina kissed Emma's forehead and left the room. Emma missed her the second Regina let go of her hand. She tried to shake the feeling of abandonment away but it was hard too. She missed her already. Elsa started to talk and Emma turned her head to her, trying to pay attention to what her friend was saying. She missed her too, Emma realized. It felt like they haven't talked in ages. Elsa said something about Anna that made Emma laughed. That wasn't a good idea, though. Everything hurt when she did.

Regina came back with Whale who examined Emma a second time. He assured Regina that everything was exactly where it was supposed to be with her and left at the same time a nurse came in with food. Hospital food. Emma made a face when she looked at the pale food, but when Regina took the tray and gave the food in her mouth, Emma made sure to simply eat everything. It wasn't all that bad and she was actually quite hungry.

Long after Elsa left, a nurse came in to check on her medication. She adjusted something on Emma's IV and a little after that Emma started to feel sleepy. She didn't want to sleep. She was having a nice conversation with Regina. She was holding her hand and caressing her hair and laughing. God, how she missed Regina's laugh. Emma fought to keep her eyes open but she was losing. She heard Regina whispering sleep my love in her ear and then everything turned black, except this time, it wasn't scary.