"Mayor Mills speaking"
"Regina" Emma's voice was raspy and barely audible, nothing like her usually annoyingly firm tone. Regina frowned a little. It couldn't be, could it?
"Sheriff Swan, to what I owe the pleasure? I guess this isn't a social call"
They have grown quite apart recently, especially after Emma had the guyliner moving in with her. He did seem to snarl every time he saw Regina, so she didn't get as many invitations to family dinner as before. And then they stopped altogether, unless they were held at the Charmings flat.
For sure the displeasure is reciprocated. Regina wasn't a forgiving person and even if she did come a long way, she wasn't going to forget about being electrocuted anytime soon.
When she didn't get any answer but a rugged breath from the other side of the line, her frown deepened and a gnarly fear started crawling on her neck.
"Emma?"
"I think I got...sick"
Regina paled. She tried to keep her composure. Maybe she was exaggerating and she just catched a cold. Those leather jackets aren't suitable for the weather in Main. But then another part of her brain made her realize she never saw Emma getting sick. Not once. Not even when she got caught in a bad storm while jogging and wearing nothing but shorts and a tank top.
"You...close the… "
Emma couldn't finish her sentence, cause she started coughing so badly that Regina winced on the phone. Then something clicked in Regina's head: the baseball game in Boston. The one she begged Emma to not take Henry, even if she promised him.
"Sheriff Swan, it's rather inconsiderate of you to plan a trip outside of the town with everything going on!"
Regina was frustrated. No, frustrated wasn't the right word. She was enraged and seriously considering the idea of punching her in the face. How could she be this inconsiderate? She is a charming but even Regina didn't think she was this idiotic.
"Regina, come on! I made a promise to Henry!"
She tried to not scream and took a deep breath. Fireballs weren't an option anymore, were they?
Emma didn't bulge one bit, even after getting the best Evil Queen stern look she had in her repertoire.
"I promise we'll be carefull: masks and sanitizer and whatever they say!" She flashed her a crooked smile, trying to sweeten the pill a little. "Regina, really, you have nothing to worry about: we will be fine! What are the chances either of us get sick! We are both young and healthy!"
"Emma" Regina dropped the tone of her voice a little. She noticed it usually get a reaction from the Savior. Two can play that game. "Why take any chance at all? The world is in the middle of a health crisis and nobody is taking any real action to stop it. Storybrook is safe as long as it stays secluded"
"It's a two days trip, Regina. Hook said…"
"I don't care what your toyboy says, Miss Swan. He doesn't have a say when it comes to Henry's safety!"
Emma tensed and took a step back. And the possibilities of talking her out of this idea went spiraling down the drain.
"I'm Henry's mother as much as you are, Regina. We are going, we'll be safe and nothing will happen"
They came back from the game 5 days before. She had to call Henry immediately, having him quarantine himself at the manor. She started collecting her things from her desk, almost forgetting Emma was still on the phone.
"Emma, don't leave the house. I'll call Whale and we'll figure out what to do"
"Okay…"
Just like that. No fighting or any resistance. She plainly agreed and hung up the phone. If her labored breath and meek voice weren't enough, this was for sure a sign of a serious problem.
Regina fled at home, calling Henry's principal to arrange the quarantine protocol for his class. And teacher. And families. Her head started to throb with an oncoming migraine. And a strong one. She was careful to not mention the reason behind it and she didn't correct her when the principal mentioned how annoying chickenpox was.
As soon as she reached the manor, sqhe stripped from her clothes and burned them in a controlled fireball, poofing herself directly into the shower. She made sure to stay under the scalding hot water long enough to scrub her skin raw. She put on some clothes, then she dialed Whale.
"Mayor Mills, what a pleasant surprise"
"We don't have time for pleasantries, Whale" his sarcasm right now was the last thing she wanted to deal with. "Are we equipped to perform COVID swabs?"
"I beg your pardon? The town isn't open to strangers"
"I'm aware of the state of Storybrook borders, doctor Whale" She really needed to appoint a new Chief for the hospital. "The question still stands"
"We have the equipment to perform a PCR test, yes. I need to talk with the lab about what they need to perform this specific test"
"Do it. And let me know as soon as possible. I'll make arrangements with the supplier to provide what they ask" She paused for a second "We don't need to create a collective panic attack, so I'd be grateful if you would be discreet about it"
"Yes, madam Mayor" he hanged up.
At least he was efficient. Regina took a deep breath. She had to act and to act fast. Thankfully, she kept herself updated on the COVID spreading all over the world, so at least she had a clear idea of what to do.
Isolation. Tracing. Testing. Lockdown.
She was about to call Snow when she heard Henry opening the front door and shouting for her. She teleported into the foyer, freezing him with a wave of her hand.
"MOM!" He looked at her like she had grown a second head. "What are you doing?"
"Don't talk, listen to me" She kept a good 6 feet distance, even if it was kind of pointless after they have lived together in the days before. "Emma is sick and I am afraid she has Covid. We need to be careful" He was about to interrupt, but she silenced him with her glare.
"I'm going to teleport you in the guest bathroom upstairs. You'll take a shower then text me when you're done. I'll teleport in the guest room until you're tested too".
Henry nodded. "How's ma?"
Regina sighed. She didn't want to lie but she didn't want to scare him either. "She doesn't sound at her best on the phone, but she's quite stubborn"
She smiled at him, trying to ease his worry. Did she succeed? She wasn't sure about, but Henry nodded and she teleported in the bathroom.
This, so far, was the easy part. Now she had to put the plan she formed in her head into work. And hope for the best.
Regina's phone didn't stop ringing, no matter how many times she explained she didn't have any answer yet and the only reasonable thing to do was to social distancing as much as possible until further notice.
She was deeply regretting the idea of putting the dwarves in charge of the supply chain for the town. Not only they were a daily thorn in her side, but also discretion wasn't their strongest suit. She had to inform Leroy about the special shipment coming - one she managed to arrange in less than two hours with a sufficient amount of equipment for hospital staff - and of course Leroy had to snoop around the boxes.
"COVID IS HERE" Leroy bursted into the diner, screaming full force.
Everybody jumped in their seats, turning toward him ina surreal silence.
He took a deep breath "COVID is here, people! Someone brought it in!"
"How can you be sure, Leroy?" Eugenia didn't really feel up to another of his dramatic announcements.
"Well, sis, the Queen had me deliver boxes of K95 masks, suits, gloves and chemicals at the hospital."
It didn't take much for the panic to explode in the little diner. And in the town.