The next day, Regina had her first treatment. "Well that felt horrible," she told Emma as they walked back to her room.
"How did you think it was gonna feel?"
"I didn't think I'd feel anything."
"Well, let's get you into bed before you feel any side effects."
It wasn't long before Regina was running to the bathroom. Once she was done throwing up, Emma sat on the floor with Regina's head in her lap. "And to think, it's only going to get worse." Emma helped Regina back to her bed. A month into her treatment, Regina was receiving her treatment in her room. She was unable to leave it at that point. The mayor would lie in bed while hooked up to the machine and Emma would hold her hand and try to distract the patient.
"Seriously," Regina asked.
"Yes, which one? Ginger or Mary Anne?"
"Which one had the short shorts?"
"Mary Anne," Emma answered.
"Her," Regina said.
"Why?"
"She's the girl you take home to mother. Ginger is the girl you take to the motel."
Emma laughed, "I guess I should get some short shorts."
"It'll be easier if you just don't wear pants."
Emma laughed harder. The nurse walked in, "well, I see that this is the fun room," she said happily.
"Emma does her best," Regina said.
The nurse took Regina off the machine. "How are you feeling?"
"Tired, but I'm sure it'll get worse soon."
"There's that optimism," Emma joked.
"I have to say that this is my favorite room to visit," the nurse said.
"See," Emma said as she gently poked Regina.
"There will be no living with you now," Regina said.
"Well, you're all done for the day. Just rest and let us know if you need anything or have a major problem," the nurse said with a smile.
"Thank you," Regina and Emma both said as the nurse left.
"You really are making this easier, emotionally," Regina said.
Emma smiled, "that's why I'm here."
Regina smiled at Emma as she drifted off to sleep. Emma had made a habit of watching Regina as she slept. She was worried that if she turned away or closed her eyes, that Regina would slip away. While the sheriff was optimistic about Regina's recovery, that fear was still there. Now that Regina was a month into her treatment and doing well, it was time for Emma to figure out when she was going back to Storybrooke to break the curse.
Emma was getting ready to go home for a few hours. "I can't sleep?" Regina asked.
"No, you have to stay awake until I get back."
"Why's that?"
"What if I need to call you for some reason?"
Regina had known for a long time that Emma was afraid to be away when she slept. "I'll probably be awake the whole time since I'm not tired. You kept me up half the night and I slept late."
"Good," Emma kissed Regina, "I'll call when it's done and I'm on my way back. I'm not going to hang around."
"I'd say be careful, but you're the likable one."
"I'd try to deny that, but we're both too smart for that."
Regina smiled and Emma left.
Once the curse was broken, an angry mob ran towards Regina's. Henry was the one who answered the door.
"My moms aren't here."
"That's a lie," someone yelled.
"No, Henry's right," Whale said after remembering. "I sent Regina to a medical center for inpatient treatment we couldn't provide here. That was a month ago."
"Why was she able to leave?" someone asked.
"The curse allows her to leave. She created and enacted it," Blue said.
"Emma told us that Regina told her how to break the curse," Snow said, "but Emma wanted to make sure that Regina was being treated first."
"We can't be angry with them because they did everything to make sure this town was in good hands when they left," David said. "Snow knows a great deal about Regina's life and is going to explain everything once things calm down."