Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock.
Regina stared at the big clock on the wall in her hospital room.
Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock.
The sound seemed to be getting louder and louder. Very irritating. But also a reassurance that time was in fact ticking by. Regina was currently counting down to two things. For her family to come back. And to when the anesthesia had left her system completely so she finally could have some medicine for the pain. She was still not having a good time. Her throat really hurt. Pain radiated from it, and even though Regina (fortunately enough) didn't have any personal experience with it, she supposed that this was how it felt like to have a hot fire-poker shoved down her throat. Had it really been this bad the last time? Or had she just been too numb to register it?
That could very well be the reason. But the reason could also be that she had been much too focused on a different kind of pain to fully acknowledge just how badly her throat hurt. The last time she was in the hospital, she had felt so broken and battered. Ruined. Shattered.
She was not shattered this time. The only part of her hurting right now, was her throat. No. That wasn't true. She actually had a little bit of a stomachache too. But her period was due in a few days, so that made sense.
Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock.
Regina glared at the offending clock. Scowled, even. Time moved much too slow for her liking. She didn't like being on her own. Not because she was afraid of the machinery or the beeping sounds this time, but she actually felt a bit lonely. She was so used to her sister and son being around. And Emma too, of course. So now it was strange to be on her own. Not that she had been on her own for long. Joy had left a couple of minutes ago. It had been wonderful to talk to her again. Well, Regina hadn't done much 'talking', but Joy happened to be well versed in Sign Language, and it had been good to catch up. Joy had looked so happy when Regina had told her about Emma and how her life was now. Joy had squeezed her hand and told her how lovely it was to see Regina looking this happy and healthy.
Regina had smiled and been grateful, because it had reminded her of how she looked the last time she was in a hospital. She had been terribly skinny. Almost underweight. The stress of being with Killian, and his frequent comments about her weight, had caused her to eat less and less, so she had lost quite a bit of weight. Her hair had been flat and colorless and her eyes entirely without spark. And her thoughts so, so dark. It had been a terrible time, and of course it was hard not to be reminded just the littlest bit of that time now when she was on her own in the quiet hospital room.
Not that she was getting upset or anything. She was just a bit… Thoughtful. Yes.
The door to her hospital room was opened. It was nurse Winifred. She was coming to take away the machine that had been attached to the nasal cannula in Regina's nostrils. The cannula had been removed a little while ago, and now the machine too. Thank god. Regina did not like being hooked up to all kinds of machinery.
Not long after the nurse had left, there was a knock on Regina's door. Regina lifted her head as much as she could without putting too much pressure on her neck. The pain in her throat briefly took a backseat. Her family was here. Finally. She curled her hand into a fist and tapped it lightly against the little table next to her hospital bed. That was her version of a 'come in'. Then she settled back against the many pillows behind her back. Her face twisted when she accidentally pulled at the wound in her throat. Oh god, that hurt. She gave Knight The Bear a little squeeze and then continued to comb her fingers through the stuffed animal's soft fur. She had done that a lot over the past hour. It had been an excellent way for her to stay focused and think of something that was not the pain radiating from her throat.
The yellow door swung open, and in stepped Emma, Henry and Zelena. Regina blinked a little. Wasn't sure she'd ever seen anything quite like this. Her family hadn't come empty handed. They were carrying balloons, stuffed animals, 'get well soon'-cards and in Emma's arms was an enormous bouquet of red roses so oversized, Regina doubted that Emma could actually see where she was walking. They made quite the pretty picture. Regina lifted a trembling hand and offered a little wave in greeting. She wished that she showed more enthusiasm, but it was ever so hard to concentrate on anything except the pain.
"Hi, mom," Henry said cheerfully. "We brought you presents, look!"
Indeed they had. Regina had never seen anything like it. She smiled when Henry showed off the three little teddy bears he was holding. "One from me, one from Emma, and one from Zelena," he announced, grinning from ear to ear.
The previous redness Regina was sure she had seen in his eyes earlier, seemed to have disappeared. That was good.
"And balloons," Zelena said, interrupting Regina's train of thoughts as she without further ado tied a teddy bear shaped balloon to Regina's hospital bed.
"Lots of them," Emma added as she too tied a balloon to Regina's bed. This one was 'My Little Pony', and Regina fondly wondered if the three of them had betted on who could find the silliest balloon.
"They didn't have a Simba balloon," Henry said mock disappointed as he concluded the balloon party by tying a Mickey Mouse shaped balloon to the bottom of her bed. bed. "Or any Lion King stuff at all for that matter. So you'll have to settle for Mickey!"
"And be grateful we didn't buy you anymore balloons than these." Emma looked ever so amused as she glanced at the balloons soaring proudly towards the ceiling. If they hadn't been tied, they probably would have ended up in the ceiling. "Anymore of those, and your bed might start floating."
"We all float down here," Zelena said and clearly did her best to sound creepy.
Regina pressed a hand against her heart in fear. Only jokingly, of course. She had never been one of those who was terribly afraid of Pennywise, but she found it appropriate to lesson her sister in how unfair it was to scare a newly operated woman.
"I'm sorry," Zelena laughed and actually looked a bit guilty. "Bad joke."
Yes, indeed. Regina nodded. Then turned her attention to Emma. And the massive bouquet of roses in her arms. What a bouquet. She mock scowled and shook her head ever so slightly.
"Yes, I should," Emma scoffed, immediately understanding what Regina was communicating. "I absolutely should have. You deserve to be up to your ears in roses. No discussion."
The way Emma said it, sounded funny, so Regina rumbled in quiet amusement. But the next second she wished that she had not when pain radiated from the new wound on her throat. Ouch, son of a… She winched and lifted a hand to rub the spot like she always did. She had forgotten that she was not allowed to touch her throat anymore.
Emma gave the roses to Zelena and took Regina's hand, thereby preventing her from touching the spot. "No touching." The reminder was as gentle as her hand touching Regina's. And maybe no laughing either. I'm sorry. I'll try not to make you laugh. We can't have you being in pain."
Regina mustered a teeny smile. Perhaps laughing wasn't the best thing to do right now.
"Henry, could you be a sweetheart and pop outside and see if you can find a vase for these?" Zelena asked, grimacing slightly as she shook the massive bouquet of roses slightly. "My arm is getting a bit tired."
"Sure," Henry said, but frowned at being sent out of the room.
"We don't have to leave right away, poppet," Zelena told him. "We still got plenty of time left to talk to your mum."
"Okay." Now sounding much more uplifted, Henry skipped out of the room, on his way to find a vase for the flowers.
Regina shifted a bit. Sat up a little better against the many pillows behind her. Ran her fingers through her slightly messy hair. It was a good thing that Henry wasn't here right now. In a moment, the doctor (hopefully!) would come in here and at long last give her the medicine. She would ask how Regina was feeling, and Regina would have to be honest and tell the doctor that she was in pain. She didn't want Henry to know how much her throat hurt. If she could spare him, she would.
"What's up, weed smoker?" Emma asked softly. "How are you feeling?"
"Weed smoker?" Zelena echoed.
Weed smoker? Regina felt as confused as Zelena sounded. Since when did Emma call her 'weed smoker'? And more importantly, why?
"When I first came in here, you told me that you felt like you were seventeen and had just smoked a joint with Malena," Emma revealed with a snicker.
Oh. Really? Had she told Emma that? Goodness. She had been completely out of it, hadn't she? Things were very fussy. She didn't have many memories from Emma's first visit to her hospital room.
"You don't remember telling me that?"
Regina shook her head and felt a little sheepish. Not that she was embarrassed, but she hadn't told many people about that joint. Not even Zelena, who currently looked a little amused and a tad surprised.
But she had not forgotten everything from Emma's first visit to her hospital room. She did in fact remember what she had overheard Emma say when she thought that Regina was asleep.
"I'm not gonna fall off my chair just because you smoked a joint in high school. We've all experimented," Emma chuckled.
Indeed. And could they please talk about something else now? The subject was starting to feel a little embarrassing. Relief flooded her when she was saved by the bell. Or rather, by the sound of a knock on the door.
"Come in," Zelena said on her behalf, and Regina saw nothing wrong with that. Her hands were trembling so much she could barely knock on the table.
In stepped Doctor Auburn. "Hi, Regina," she greeted with that professional yet warm smile. "How are you feeling now?"
Well… Not that good, actually. She lifted a hand and shook it in a 'so-so'-manner.
"Yes, I can see that the effect of the anesthesia has worn off now," Doctor Auburn said. "Can you tell me, on a scale of one to ten how bad the pain is for you right now?"
Honesty above all else. Regina lifted eight trembling fingers and held them up to illustrate how bad the pain was. Truthfully, it was probably worse than eight. The pain could easily be a nine or perhaps even a ten.
But Regina wanted to hold on to her 'ten' for a little longer. She wanted to save it for if she ever experienced a pain that was so terrible she couldn't think or feel or breathe.
"Okay, well, let's try and bring that down a bit, shall we?" Said the doctor and smiled kindly at her.
Regina nodded eagerly. Oh yes, that would be absolutely wonderful.
"If you just give me your hand, I'll provide you with a bit of medicine."
A bit of medicine? Hopefully, that was doctor language for 'a solid dose of medicine', Regina thought to herself as she held out her hand. There was something very satisfying about seeing the medicine being injected right into the tube in the catheter sitting in her hand.
"There we go. The effect should kick in in a few minutes and it'll make you a little sleepy, okay?"
Regina nodded. She was fine with being sleepy. As long as the medicine kicked in and made her feel better.
"I popped in to see you earlier," the doctor continued. "Do you remember that?"
Regina frowned and searched her brain. The memories were foggy. Much too foggy. Unfortunately, she could not remember that the doctor had been to see her. She shook her head in negative. Felt a bit sheepish.
"That's perfectly okay," Doctor Auburn said. "I figured you wouldn't. You were fairly affected by the anesthesia at the time."
She felt the warmth rise in her cheeks. What did that even mean? Had she been very silly? Oh, goodness. She had probably been very goofy. She was sure of that. Emma's chuckle certainly suggested that she hadn't acted like her usual composed self.
Doctor Auburn perched herself on the side of Regina's bed. "The operation went well," she began. "We inserted the implants in your throat, and we managed to reposition your paralyzed vocal cord. Now your throat has to heal, the implants has to settle, and the swelling will have to go down. It'll be three weeks before the swelling will be completely gone, so it's crucial that you do not attempt to talk during the healing process, alright?"
Regina nodded and tried to take it all in. It was a bit strange to know that there was implants in her throat now. And her vocal cord had been repositioned. That was good. Better than good. To think that it had actually been possible.
"Once the three weeks are up, you'll have to start training your voice and sort of prep it to be used again," Doctor Auburn continued. "You'll have to practice coughing and clearing your throat and using actual sound while you do so. And you'll receive weekly voice therapy in order to avoid any breathiness and hoarseness when you speak. I know that your voice was fairly hoarse and low before, but..."
Oh yes, her voice had been quite hoarse all on its own. Which she didn't mind. Over the years, she had come to really appreciate her rich, husky voice. It honestly had been one of her greatest assets, and she was looking forward to familiarizing herself with her voice again. If Doctor Auburn was still talking, Regina was not paying attention to it. She was much too busy thinking about her voice. About the fact that she actually was going to speak again. She was going to get her voice back.
"...Do you have any questions?"
Regina snapped out of it. She did not have any questions regarding the surgery and recovery, she had tried all that before. But she did have one question regarding something else, and she lifted her hands and signed: 'can I use the bathroom?' Now that the anesthesia had faded, she could feel the intense pressure on her bladder.
"Yes, you can use the bathroom." Doctor Auburn glanced between Emma and Zelena. "But only with someone to support you. You've just received medicine, and that might make you a little dizzy, so no walking on your own, okay?"
Yes, ma'am. Regina nodded solemnly.
"Excellent. I'll come and check up on you a little later, alright? Without waiting for an answer, Doctor Auburn left her hospital room.
Regina saw no reason to wait. She swung one leg out of bed.
"Careful," Emma and Zelena said in unison. Definitely admonishing her. Regina scowled slightly in response. Careful meant slow down. And slowing down was definitely not an option when she needed the bathroom as much as she did right now.
She swung her other leg out of bed. Stood proudly on her own two feet and thought to herself that she was fine. That she wasn't at all dizzy or affected by the medicine. But the proud feeling only lasted for about ten seconds. Then she stumbled and had to grab the cot side of the hospital bed in order to not fall over.
Emma was immediately by her side. She gently grabbed Regina's arm and supported her. "That medicine is going straight to your legs, huh?"
Yes, it would appear so. Regina nodded and felt a bit defeated. She knew that she just had been given medicine, but still, this didn't feel like a speedy recovery.
"Don't worry, I'll help you." Emma took her arm and draped it over her shoulder. "Let's go. Careful, careful."
Ha. Careful was almost an understatement. Regina could barely move, and she had to drag her feet across the floor and fully rely on Emma to support her. Her legs weren't working. And being upright made her feel dizzy. Emma was very sweet. She kept reassuring Regina that she was almost there and that she was right here.
Thank god for Emma. She single-handedly managed to help Regina into the bathroom. Regina leaned heavily against the sink and tried to compose herself. Even this tiny little trip to the bathroom had completely drained her. Left her feeling so, so fatigued. She felt Emma's fingers on her back. Stroking up and down in a most soothing manner, and that brought Regina back to reality. Made her remember that Emma was here. In the bathroom. With her.
Absolutely not. No matter how woozy Regina felt, she could damn well do her business on her own, and she lifted her head and looked at Emma in the mirror. Then lifted a finger and pointed towards the door.
"Not ready for the next level in our relationship?" Emma teased in that particularly sweet manner.
Definitely not. Regina shook her head firmly and pointed towards the door. To emphasize, she even mouthed the word 'out'.
Emma laughed. "Okay. I'll leave you to it. But I'll be right outside. And if I hear anything falling over, I will be coming in here. Don't lock the door, okay?"
Regina promised to not do that. As soon as Emma had left the bathroom, she took a deep breath and tried to pull herself together. Looked at her reflection in the mirror. What she saw wasn't exactly encouraging. She a bit pale and there was dark circles underneath her eyes. But the bandage sat nicely on her throat. And it had been cleaned too. No specks of blood anywhere. Good. It looked so dramatic to walk around with a bloodied bandage around her throat.
She stopped looking at herself in the mirror and did her business instead. Her bladder worked perfectly. How very fortunate.
Once she was done and had washed her hands, she had to rest her forearms against the sink once more. God, she was dizzy. So, so dizzy. The room was spinning. She gave two faint taps to the sink. Because there was no way she would be able to get back to bed on her own. She literally couldn't walk two steps without feeling dizzy.
"I'm coming in. Is that okay?" Emma said behind the door, and Regina tapped the side of the sink once more. Yes, it was okay for Emma to come in.
The door opened and Emma came inside the small bathroom. She took one look at Regina and draped her arm over her shoulder. "Dizzy?" she asked softly as she wrapped her own arm around Regina's waist to support her.
Regina nodded as she took the first cautious step towards the door. Dizzy was an understatement.
"It's okay. Just lean on me, babe."
That was exactly what Regina did. Emma was doing most of the steering as she guided her out of the bathroom and across the floor towards the hospital bed. Regina narrowed her eyes at the waiting bed. As dizzy as she was, as tired was she of lying down. She stopped. Grabbed the sides of the bed again.
"Come now, sis. Back to bed." Zelena was definitely scolding her.
And if there was something Regina did not like, it was to be scolded. She exhaled and stretched her legs a bit. Tried to regain some kind of control over them. But the more she stretched, the weaker they seemed to become. God damnit.
"Come on," Emma said softly. "Back to bed. You need to rest, babe."
Maybe she did. Maybe Emma was right. Regina reluctantly climbed back to bed. She hadn't even been here for six hours, and she was already tired of it. It would be a long night.
"How's the pain now?" Zelena asked. "Better?"
Regina nodded. Yes, the pain was better, thank god. Perhaps her weak legs was a small price to pay.
The door opened. In came Henry, carrying a vase for the bouquet of roses and right behind him, Nurse Winifred. She too had her arms full. Of a bouquet of colorful flowers and a vase.
Flowers? Who had sent her flowers, Regina wondered as she curiously eyed the bouquet in the nurse's arms.
"You're quite popular, miss Mills," the nurse said with a smile as she held the bouquet down towards Regina so she could see them better. "I believe there's a card in there somewhere."
Regina immediately began searching amongst the flowers, and sure enough, there was indeed a card hiding.
"Snapdragons," Zelena observed.
"Huh?" Emma was clearly confused.
"The flowers. They're called snapdragons," Zelena clarified. "I know exactly who send those flowers."
"Snapdrag- oh!"
Just as Emma exclaimed, Regina realized who had sent her the flowers. Malena, of course. How could she even have wondered? The medicine was making her brain all foggy again. As the nurse arranged the two bouquets of flowers, Regina unfolded the little card and read it carefully. Then she smiled. The card was written in typical Malena Drake style. 'With the hope of a speedy recovery. Be a good girl and listen to Emma and the doctor when they tell you to take it easy. I'm looking forward to seeing your pretty face when you come back to Vancouver. Get plenty of rest. Mal.' That was kind of her. Regina reminded herself to text her friend and say thank you for the flowers.
"Does the dragon have any words of wisdom this time around?" Emma asked and laughed at her own joke.
Regina gave Emma the card. She didn't take long to read it. "Pretty face, huh?" she echoed.
Regina shrugged. Emma was joking. Of course she was. She knew of Mal's unusual way to express herself.
"Well, she's not wrong," Emma sniggered.
"She also send you this!" Henry said, reminding Regina that he was there. He reached within his pocket and brought out a stuffed animal. Which happened to be a dragon.
Aww. Regina beamed as she took the stuffed toy from Henry. It was very soft. With cute little wings. Another dragon. Mal had gifted her with quite a few over the years. Regina had no idea where she found them, but she definitely appreciated them. And this one. It was very sweet.
"I'll be right back with something to eat for you."
Urgh. Regina grimaced as Nurse Winifred reminded her that she too was still here. She squinted slightly as she followed the nurse's walk towards the door with her eyes. If there was something Regina didn't feel, it was hunger. She was actually a bit nauseous. Did she really have to eat right now?
Henry interrupted her train of thoughts by reaching out and touching the dragon. "He's cute. Can I name him?"
Of course he could. Regina smiled at her son and nodded. What would it be this time? Henry had named all her other stuffed dragons, and he was always very good at coming up with names. She looked at him as he studied the toy for a moment. Then he declared: "Icarus."
Great name for a proud little dragon. Regina smiled at him and nodded again. Icarus it was.
"That sounds like something Malena herself could have come up with," Zelena observed.
"Are you telling me that she has names for all the dragons in her office?" Emma asked curiously.
Regina grinningly gave a thumbs up in response. Of course Malena gave her dragons names. She was very fond of them.
"Out of curiosity..." Emma ventured. "What did she name the one you gave her?"
"Leila," Zelena answered.
Correct. The dragon Regina once had gifted Malena with, was indeed named Leila. A highly sophisticated name for a dragon.
"Leila?" Emma's mouth curled into a smile. "Seriously? I had expected something mighty like... Royal. Or... Vesper."
"Vesper?" Henry echoed and laughed. He was clearly not very impressed by that suggestion.
"It was the only thing I could come up with," Emma defended with a little huff.
"Actually, Leila makes perfect sense," Zelena chuckled.
Regina rolled her eyes. She knew what revelation was coming now.
"And why is that?" Emma curiously inquired.
"Because it means dark-haired beauty," Zelena revealed with a snicker and a slight quirk of her eyebrow.
"Oh," Emma said with a light chuckle and a knowing look in her eyes. "I suppose that does makes sense."
Indeed it did. Regina gave a little nod as she leaned back against the many pillows behind her. She was starting to get very drowsy. The medicine wasn't just going straight to her legs now. It felt like she was due another nap. Unfortunately. She would have loved to spend more time with Emma and Henry and Zelena.
Emma took a step forward and took her hand. Squeezed it softly.
Regina turned her heavy, heavy head so she could look at Emma. That little squeeze to her hand made Regina feel like Emma had something she wanted to say. Something that couldn't wait until after her nap.
"You've obviously forgotten certain things because of the anesthesia, but do you remember anything at all from the first time we visited you after you woke up?" Emma asked softly.
Regina didn't need to search her brain for long before she nodded and lazily gestured towards Henry and Zelena.
"You remember seeing Zelena and Henry?"
Mhmm, she did. Nodded in confirmation.
"Do you remember anything else?" Emma asked softly (and nervously?). "Like... leaving a message on my phone, for instance?"
Oh. Oh, yes. She smiled. Most certainly, she remembered doing that. She gave another nod.
"You remember that?"
Another nod. Regina was not annoyed at being asked for confirmation yet again. And she was happy that the anesthesia hadn't erased that memory from her mind.
"And it wasn't just the anesthesia talking? You really mean it?" Emma squeezed her hand again. She still looked a bit nervous.
But she didn't need to be. Of course Regina meant it. She ignored how dizzy she felt as she nodded again. Oh, how she meant it!
"Mean what?" Henry asked, looking confused between them. "What's going on?"
"Well..." Emma laughed, a light and oh, so happy sound. No more anxiety. "I suppose I should have asked you too, but the thing is, your mom already said yes, so I'm kinda hoping you'll tag along, kid."
"Tag along where, exactly?" Zelena asked and raised an eyebrow.
Regina left the explanation to Emma. Mostly because she was getting tired. But also because she suspected that Zelena already knew.
Emma squeezed her hand again. Looked at her and smiled in a way that made Regina feel dizzy for reasons that had nothing to do with the medicine.
"I've asked Regina if she and Henry would like to come and live with me," Emma said. "And she said yes."
"YES!" Henry cried, floor creaking as he jumped up and down in pure excitement. "Finally!" he ran over to Emma and hugged her tightly.
It was the most beautiful thing Regina ever had seen. The beautiful relationship between Emma and Henry was something she would forever cherish. They were so close. A perfect pair. Almost like Emma was Henry's other moth-
Regina blinked. Now the medicine was making her think silly things again. Time to concentrate about something else. Like witnessing Emma laughing and hugging Henry right back. "I guess that means you'd like to live with me, too?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Henry squeezed her tightly. "More than anything!"
Regina saw Emma turn her head. They made eye contact, and Regina tried not to be too emotional. She did not want to cause a scene. There was absolutely no need for that. But she could feel her eyes prickling, though. Urgh.
"Is that so?" Zelena gave a teasing smile. "You're just going to leave me all alone?"
'You won't be alone,' Regina signed, teasing her older sister right back. Zelena had Chad. And not to mention the little 'blop' growing in her belly. What an exciting time for all of them.
"No, I suppose I won't," Zelena mumbled. She glanced down at her abdomen for a moment. Then she pulled herself together and looked at Regina again. "I realize that I haven't been entirely fair when it comes to you moving out of the house. I guess I'm being stupid and overprotective..."
Regina shook her head firmly and touched Zelena's hand. Perhaps Zelena had been 'overprotective' at certain times. Perhaps Regina had caught herself being annoyed about it from time to time. But it did not matter now. She understood why Zelena had reacted like that.
"I'm very happy for you," Zelena smiled and patted her hand. "For both of you."
"Mom deserves to be happy," Henry piped up.
Regina looked at her son and wondered where that came from. Of course it was incredibly sweet of him to say that, but it still struck her as being a bit odd.
"When are we moving?" Henry asked, now sounding eager. And more like himself. Not the little man he had been a few seconds ago.
Regina's curiosity drowned in the sound of Emma's laughter. And soon she smiled herself and had forgotten all about Henry's curious little comment.
"That sort of thing takes planning, kid," Emma said with a patient smile. "Lots of it. And your mom has to regain her strength first."
"Of course," Henry nodded, at last letting go of Emma's middle. "I just can't wait to move in with you!"
Neither could Regina. Had it been possible, she would have moved in with Emma tomorrow. Or tonight.
"I'll have to find a spot in the garden where you can grow roses, beautiful," Emma said softly, flashing Regina another of those beautiful smiles.
Once again, Regina felt misty eyed. There was a lump in her throat. But at least her hands did not tremble when she signed: 'you remember that.' she had made what, one comment about wanting to live in a place where she could grow roses? And Emma remembered that.
"Of course I do," Emma said softly. "I remember everything you've ever told me."
It was both a good and a bad thing that the nurse chose this exact moment to come back. Good because Regina's eyes had prickled more and more. And bad because said nurse was carrying a small bowl containing a glob of blue.
It was possibly the least appetite inducing thing Regina had ever seen in her life.
"Is that jello?" Emma asked. For some reason, she appeared to find it amusing.
"Yes," the nurse confirmed as she rolled the little table towards Regina's bed. She sat the bowl and spoon down on the table.
Regina wrinkled her nose. If she poked that jello with a spoon, it would jiggle. Horrible.
"Try and eat all of it if you can," the nurse said kindly and patiently. "It's important that you get some sustenance as soon as possible."
She left again, and Regina wrinkled her nose once more. Was she seriously supposed to that eat jiggling glob? It looked terrible. She shook her head firmly.
"You're supposed to eat it," Emma told her.
'Disgusting,' Regina signed. Surely, Emma could see how awful it looked, right?
"I think it looks pretty good actually."
One of Regina's eyebrows lifted. Emma couldn't be serious, right? She had to be making up crap to get Regina to eat or something. That was the only acceptable explanation.
"She's right," Zelena said softly. "You are supposed to eat it, sis."
'Nauseous', Regina mouthed. That would have to be enough to make them back off, right? She actually wasn't that nauseous. She was just not in the mood to eat jello.
"You're nauseous because you haven't had anything to eat since last night," Zelena said patiently. "Your nausea will get better if you eat something."
Indeed? She glared at the bowl of Jell-O. But did that 'something' really have to be Jell-O?
"Come on, mom," Henry said, sweetly convincingly as he looked at her with those big eyes of his. "The faster you'll eat, the faster you'll be out of hospital!"
"Kid's got a point," Emma agreed.
Regina suffocated a huff. They were not being as subtle as they thought. She had seen Emma winking at Henry. And the grin Henry tossed back at her. They were ganging up on her. All three of them. But perhaps they did actually have a point. She certainly wasn't planning on extending her stay in the hospital for a longer period of time, and if eating was a way to ensure that didn't happen, well…
She grabbed the bowl and spoon and scooped up a bite of the blue Jell-O. Slipped the spoon between her lips. The Jell-O easily slid down her throat. She didn't have to worry about swallowing. The taste of blueberry prickled on her tongue. It was a bit too synthetical for her taste. A bit too sharp. Not at all delicious.
"Is it really that bad?" Emma asked. The look of disdain had clearly been evident on Regina's face.
Regina nodded. Yes, it was exactly that bad. But she nevertheless kept eating. Because that made those around her happy.
"Good job, mom," Henry praised and stuck up his thumb.
"Does it hurt to eat?" Emma asked worriedly.
Regina shook her head in negative and flashed her girlfriend a reassuring smile. No, it actually did not hurt to eat.
"Oh, good." Emma looked very relieved at that.
Regina let it be with that. There was really no reason to tell Emma that the only reason eating didn't hurt was because she had been given pain killers.
While she ate, Emma, Henry and Zelena chitchatted. Zelena had developed the habit of drawing circles on her stomach. Regina discreetly observed her. Wondered if Zelena even was aware that she was doing it. Either way, it looked very sweet. Zelena was going to be an amazing mom, and Chad an amazing father. Regina would have loved to be a fly on the wall when Zelena told Chad the happy news. She did not for a moment doubt that Chad would be overjoyed. He and Zelena were so good together. And the baby would be the cherry on top.
"Good job, mom!"
Henry's voice cut through her musings, and Regina looked down and realized that the bowl was empty. Huh. She had just eaten all the damn Jell-O. Well then. Good for her. She deserved some kind of medal. She pushed the empty bowl away and noted that her stomach seemed more… settled. Perhaps she had in fact been hungry. Maybe she had even liked the Jell-O. Not that she ever would admit to it, of course…
By the time Nurse Winifred showed up and told Emma, Zelena and Henry that it was time to leave, Regina was torn. She did not want them to leave. But at the same time, she was also getting very, very tired. Her eyes kept closing. She couldn't stay awake. So maybe there wouldn't be much point in her family staying longer.
"Get some sleep, baby sis," Zelena said softly as she bowed her head and kissed Regina's cheek.
Regina nodded sleepily. That 'instruction' was not one she would have any trouble with following.
"G'night, mom!" Henry kissed her other cheek. "Love you!"
'I love you too', Regina signed and smiled at her little prince. She couldn't wait for them to be properly reunited tomorrow when she would be discharged from the hospital.
"I'll see you tomorrow first thing," Emma promised. Her soft, warm lips touched Regina's forehead. Then her lips.
Regina managed to purse her lips just the littlest bit. She would be damned if she was too tired to return Emma's kiss. Once Emma had lifted her head, Regina signed once more. 'I love you', she communicated, with tired hands.
"I love you too," Emma smiled. "Why don't you think about where you want to grow roses before you fall asleep?"
That was a lovely idea. Regina would for sure do that.
"If I could sleep here tonight, I sure as hell would."
"You said "hell"," Henry commented and scowled slightly at Emma.
"I sure did," Emma a bit sheepishly acknowledged. "I'll have to work on that before you guys move in. Wouldn't want to get in trouble with your mom."
Henry laughed and Regina smiled. Struggled to focus on Emma, but it was hard. Her vision kept blurring.
"Woah, you are getting tired," Emma snickered softly. "Get lots of lots of sleep, okay? I want you to be awake when I come and see you tomorrow."
Done. Regina gave a little grin. But when Emma started to play with her hair, she surrendered and closed her eyes. Emma's fingers disappeared from her hair. Regina was not satisfied with that, but she was far too tired to protest. She heard movements. The door opened. Then closed. Regina suspected that she was alone now. But she was actually okay with that. She curled up more properly in the big bed. Pulled the covers tighter around her. Snug as a bug in a rug. When she shifted, something soft brushed against her left shoulder. It was probably one of the stuffed animals. Regina smiled without opening her eyes. Had Henry placed the stuffed animals around her as though they were guarding her? That did sound like something her fairytale loving son would do, bless him….
She had no idea what time it was when she woke up again. At least not until she grabbed her phone. She had been asleep for a long, long time. All day. It was nighttime now. Someone had placed a new bowl of Jell-O on the table.
Regina's stomach rumbled. She sat up and reached for the bowl and spoon. This portion of Jell-O was bright yellow. She scooped up a bite and stuffed it inside her mouth. Banana. Not bad. She supposed she could live with that now that no one had thought of serving her ice cream. Yet.
Whilst eating with one hand, she used her other hand to text. For once, it was not Emma who was the receiver. It was Malena.
'Thank you so much for the flowers and sweet little dragon. I would have texted you earlier, but I must admit that I fell asleep.'
It didn't take long before the answer appeared on her screen. 'My dear. It is lovely to hear from you. How are you feeling?'
Regina scarfed another mouthful of Jell-O inside her mouth. 'Fairly good. I've had some medicine to take the top of the pain.'
'That is good. And how did the operation go?'
'It went well. My doctor said it was a success.'
'Does that mean you will be able to speak again?'
Regina was just about to answer the message when a new one ticked in:
'Oh, I am sorry, my dear. That was much too blunt of me. I do not care whether you can talk or not. That is not what matters the most. I hope you know that.'
Regina smiled. 'I know. You don't have to apologize. And yes, I will in fact be able to speak again. But not yet though. It will take a little while and speech therapy. All that jazz.'
'How wonderful, dear! I truly am so happy for you! But for now, you will focus on getting stronger, won't you?'
Regina rolled her eyes. 'Yes, Mal. I will focus on getting stronger.'
'Good. You need all the rest you can get. Is Emma and Zelena and my sweet godson with you right now?'
'No, I'm on my own. But that's alright. I have been sleeping since early afternoon. The medicine hits hard.'
'Well, that's a good thing. Rest is the best thing for you. When will you be discharged from the hospital?'
'Tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be able to walk in a straight line.'
Mal expressed her amusement about that, and they texted back and forward for a good while. Regina actually ended up sending Malena a selfie. Malena told her that she looked 'splendid'. Which was a complete lie, but one that Regina let her oldest friend get away with. Right now, she didn't mind being lied to about her appearance..
Regina woke from another unexpected nap. She felt a little groggy. And in pain too. She checked the time on her phone. Enough time had passed for her to get a new round of medicine. Thank god. She reached up and pressed the button above her bed. It didn't take long before a nurse appeared by her bedside and asked if everything was okay. Regina hadn't seen her before. She had to be a night nurse. With weak hands, she communicated that she was in pain and needed more medicine.
The young nurse smiled at her. "Of course, miss Mills. I will be right back with your medicine. Do you need anything else?"
Regina shook her head.
The nurse took off, and Regina was alone again. Alone with the throbbing pain in her throat. She had to do something to distract herself from the pain. She grabbed her phone and composed a quick message to Emma. 'Why is it that jello has this absolutely awful texture, but actually taste quite good?'
It was only afterwards that she realized that it perhaps was a bit too late to text. Maybe Emma was already asleep. Oops. But what was done was done, and it was too late to do anything about it now.
Her phone vibrated against the mattress. Regina checked the message.
'What the hell, Mills? Why aren't you asleep? You are supposed to be asleep.'
Regina scoffed. Believe me, I wish that I was. 'I know. I'm just waiting for the night nurse.'
'Are you pain?'
A little understating never killed anyone. 'A little, yes. Which is why I sent for the night nurse.'
'I'm sorry. I so wish I could be there with you!'
Regina smiled. Her dear, sweet Emma. 'It's okay. I'm okay. I just need a bit of medicine to take the edge of things.'
'I get that. Have you had any more jello? '
She snorted. That damn Jell-O. There was no escaping it, was there? Ridiculous glob. That somehow tasted good.
'I have actually. I had a second portion after I woke up from my nap.' As she texted, she was actually considering to send for one more portion of Jell-O. Blueberry. Banana. What would the next flavor be? Peach? Strawberry? Regina could do with something strawberry flavored right now.
'Way to go! Or, as Malena would have put it: good girl! :D'
'Very funny.' It was, actually. Mainly because Malena actually had called her a good girl when Regina revealed that she was eating Jell-O.
'How are you actually feeling, babe? Is the pain very bad?'
Yes. But she wasn't about to reveal that. 'No-no, it's not that bad.'
'On a scale of one to ten?'
Regina scoffed. 'Are you serious?'
'Incredibly.'
So assertive. Regina rolled her eyes. Decided to be honest. Lying to Emma was not something she practiced. Not even little white lies. 'Fine, Doctor Swan. I'd say eight and a half.' The pain was definitely worse than it had been earlier. More intense.
'That's a lot!'
Two exclamation points. Regina immediately tried to soothe Emma's concerns. 'No, it's not. It could have been ten.' She was still saving her 'ten' for a rainy day.
'Fair point, but I still don't like eight and a half. I would have preferred if you said zero. Is there anything I can do to help? I could keep you entertained until the night nurse comes in?'
'Aren't you tired?' not that Regina didn't want Emma's company. Of course she did. But she also wanted Emma to rest. It had been a long day for her too.
'Nah, I'm wide awake and ready to talk to you for as long as you'd like! :D'
Regina smiled. 'That sounds nice. I'd like that.'
'Cool. So, you ARE in bed, right? You're not up and about, are you?'
Definitely not. Just the thought of standing up was making Regina feel exhausted. 'No, of course not. I'm lying in bed like a good girl.'
'I can't wait to see you tomorrow!'
Honestly, Regina was counting down to the very same thing. It was strange to be apart. 'I can't wait to see you either, my darling. I just hope that I'm a bit more perky tomorrow. I've been feeling quite beside myself all day.'
'Of course you have. You just had a pretty major surgery.'
Regina unconsciously reached up and lightly touched her bandaged throat. Right now, it needed time to heal so the swelling could disappear. But later… Oh god, later! 'I still can't quite believe that I'll actually be able to speak again. It seems too good to be true.'
'But it is true, babe! It really is!'
She smiled again. Moved her hand away from her throat again. She didn't want to risk making it hurt even more than it already did. 'It better be. I have so many things I want to say to you.'
'Yeah? And what's the first one gonna be? :D'
Oooh, Regina was so happy Emma asked. 'That I love you. Obviously.'
'And I'll be saying it right back to you a million times!'
Regina could practically hear her son's voice in her head. 'Oh dear, I do believe that we're getting "mushy" as Henry would have put it.'
'Yeah, maybe we are, but isn't it awesome, though?'
Exceptionally, yes. 'It sure is. I can't quite understand why you're not asleep, Emma. You must be exhausted.'
'Probably not half as exhausted as you are. Is your head still floaty?'
Mmm, quite. Regina glanced at the balloons tied to her bed and took the opportunity to make a joke: 'As floaty as the balloons above my bed. Apparently, we all float here.'
'Oh, very funny, Mills! But jokes aside, I'm glad you still have your excellent sense of humor '
'But of course. Though I suspect my humor is quite bad because of the pain medicine I'm on. It makes me feel, well, floaty! And it gives me strange dreams.' Seriously, her dreams had been messed up. Most of them hadn't even made sense. And some of them… Well, some of them had made a little too much sense.
'You didn't have a nightmare, did you?'
'No, just weird dreams. Exactly like I had when I was under anesthesia.' For whatever reason, Regina easily could remember the dreams she'd had while being sedated. The human brain was strange sometimes.
'What were you dreaming about then? During the anesthesia, I mean?'
'Neal.' Regina frowned as soon as she had sent the message. That wasn't very articulate of her. The pain was clearly messing with her ability to express herself.
'You dreamed about my baby brother?'
'Yes, I did.'
'What were you dreaming of about him?'
Regina paused, unsure of whether she should continue. She had suddenly realized that the conversation was straying into a territory that was… well, daunting.
'I'm not sure if I should tell you.'
'What? Why not?'
Regina could almost see Emma's confusion before her inner eye. Could see the way she would be squinting in that particular way she always did when she was trying to figure something out. 'Because I don't want you to freak out.', she wrote and sent the message to Emma.
'That's ridiculous. Nothing you do or tell me can freak me out, babe. Now out with it.'
Very well. Regina was going to tell Emma. Perhaps it wasn't such a big deal. It had just been a silly dream, after all.
'Fine. I dreamt that he was going to live with us instead of going back to the foster home.'
It didn't take long before the answer appeared on the screen. And it was a short one too.
'Huh.'
'Are you freaked out?' Regina typed and felt a tad uneasy. Perhaps she shouldn't have brought this up in the first place.
'No, of course not, babe. But I'm definitely curious. Were we adopting him?'
Well… 'Yes. Crazy, right?' very crazy. Her brain was quite ridiculous.
'You think so?'
Regina frowned. She had expected a 'yeah, that's crazy, babe' from Emma. Not this. 'Don't you think so?' she typed and sent off the text.
'Nah. Surprising, definitely. But not crazy. He was a very cute little boy.'
Regina's heart beat a little faster. 'Yes, he was.'
'And you were awesome at holding him.'
That made Regina smile. 'So were you.' Emma had been very good at holding the little boy.
'Being his sister doesn't automatically makes me good at holding him '
'Of course not, but you were. Far better than that babysitter. He was squirming when she was holding him.' A new feeling pushed through Regina's pained/woozy state of mind. Anger towards that silly babysitter who probably had the best intentions but nonetheless had looked like she hadn't had a clue about what she was doing.
'Yeah, I noticed that.'
Regina was about to change the subject when a second text arrived.
'Is that something you've ever considered?'
Perhaps it was the pain slowing Regina down, but she did not understand what Emma meant. 'Is what something I've ever considered?'
'Becoming a foster parent.'
Oh. Ohhh. Now Regina understood. 'Actually, yes. There was a point where Henry was five when I thought about it. Henry kept talking about how much he wanted a sibling, and the good old fashioned way didn't really apply to me, and neither did artificial insemination. I didn't have an easy time when I was pregnant with Henry. I had some health issues in connection with the pregnancy, so yes, I briefly considered fostering.' Her finger trembled as she hit 'send'. Apparently, even writing a longer text was making her tired. Well then. She was a bit nervous as she waited for Emma to answer. She saw the three blue dots jump around, revealing that Emma was texting. What would she say? Regina hadn't actually told her this.
Despite the text being long, it didn't take long before Emma answered.
'Wow, I didn't know that. What made you go away from it?'
'I don't know. I suppose my life just got busy all the sudden, you know?' she had become so wrapped up in her work. And Henry had stopped asking for a sibling. That was probably one of the reasons why she had gone away from the idea.
'Yeah, I sure do. Can I ask you something?'
There was only one way to answer that. 'Anything.'
'Do you regret not going through with it? Becoming a foster parent, I mean?'
Regina lifted an eyebrow in surprise. 'Where did that come from?'
'I'm just curious. Humor me?'
'I love children. I have always loved children. Henry might not have been planned, but he is the best thing that has ever happened to me.' Just texting about Henry, made Regina miss her son even more.
'He's an amazing kid! :D'
'He is, but I didn't really answer your question, did I?'
'I think you did, actually.'
Regina noted that her hands had gone a bit sweaty. Was that because she was in pain, or was it because of the subject?
She never found out. Because just then, the door opened, and the night nurse stepped in.
'The night nurse is here.', she quickly texted.
'Okay. Text me and say goodnight after you've had your medicine?'
Regina smiled. 'Of course. I'll be right back, my darling.'
'I shall eagerly be awaiting your return, milady :D'
Regina's smile widened as she put the phone away and turned her attention to the night nurse.
"Good evening, miss Mills," the young nurse said and returned her smile. "Ready for a little something to sleep on?"
Regina nodded. Yes, she was more than ready for that.
"Excellent. Well, if you hold out your hand, I'll fix that in a heartbeat. We can't have you being in pain."
Another kind woman, Regina thought to herself as she held out her hand. The nurse injected the medicine right into the tube in her hand.
"There we go," the nurse said. "All set, miss Mills. Can I get you anything else?"
Regina shook her head. No, she didn't need anything more tonight. She just wanted to sleep.
"Well, if you do, you just push the button and I'll come rushing," the nurse quipped and smiled at her. "I'm on duty all night." She touched Regina's arm lightly. "Sleep well, miss Mills."
With that she left, and Regina settled back against the pillow. She closed her eyes. Then remembered that she couldn't go to sleep quite yet. She had been in the middle of something before the night nurse came in. Something that ranked higher than sleep did.
'All done.', she wrote and sent the text to Emma.
'Feeling floaty yet, then? :D'
It was probably too soon to tell, but… 'To be perfectly honest, yes. A bit.'
'And how's the pain now, babe? On a scale on one to ten?'
Regina checked herself. The medicine had already started to work. Thank god. 'I'd say five out ten, so getting better, miss Swan.'
'That's nurse Swan to you '
Indeed? If she hadn't been drugged and tired, that little comment would have made her mind race. Perhaps it was despite the medicine, actually. 'Nurse Swan? Emma, I don't think I'm supposed to feel excited this soon after the operation. It's not healthy for me.'
'Point taken. I'll stop. Wanna say goodnight now?'
'I think that's best. I'm starting to feel really sleepy.' Understatement. She could barely hold the phone any longer.
'Then go to sleep, beautiful. I'll see you tomorrow! Goodnight, and sweet dreams!'
'Three out of ten now, so now you can sleep instead of worrying about me. Goodnight, my darling. I can't wait to see you tomorrow. Sleep well.'
She was rewarded with an emoji with heart eyes. Regina sent one right back at Emma. Then she closed her eyes and fell asleep with the phone still in her hand…
To Be Continued…