Chapter 14

Two days later, Regina arrived at the hospital around noon to pick Emma up. Dr. Heart had thought it would be better if she spent another night at the hospital after chemo was finished, and Emma hadn't been averse, hoping that she would be feeling a little better the following day.

"Are your papers ready?", Regina wanted to know as she gathered Emma's belongings and put them in her bag.

Emma nodded and slipped into her jacket sleeves seemingly in slow motion. Over all, she felt like she was moving so slowly lately, that her life was just rushing past her and she was just a spectator from a distance. "You could have come later. Aren't you needed at City Hall?"

Regina gave her an annoyed look. "Just don't remind me of my work," she said, zipping the travel bag's jammed zipper a little more forcefully than necessary.

Questioningly, Emma eyed her.

"This stupid town festival this weekend, it's driving me crazy! And please pardon me, but your mother is driving me crazy too! I mean, how can she call me three times a day to tell me about her stupid decorations? I know that's how she is and normally I would roll my eyes and listen to it, but now? You're in the hospital and you're feeling awful and she wants to know if she should get blue, red or colorful balloons. Does she really think I care? Let her stick pink hearts on them for all she cares!"

Emma screwed up her face and grinned. "Just don't tell her that, after all, we'll have to look at it all day."

"You really want to go?" Regina asked, sitting down next to Emma on the edge of the bed.

"You don't?" she asked, looking at her in wonder. "I thought as mayor you were sort of expected to show up." Suddenly, a wide grin appeared on her face.

Regina raised an eyebrow. "What's going on now?"

A giggle escaped Emma. "I was just thinking about the town festival last year."

"Just stop it!"

This only made Emma laugh harder.

The two of them had just become a couple at that point and no one but Henry had known about it yet. Regina had refused to be seen in public with Emma already for that reason, which was why the two had spent the day apart and acted like close acquaintances towards each other. Regina had been busy making sure the festival ran smoothly, but Emma had quickly grown bored and ended up playing drinking games with Killian and the dwarves. When it got dark and time for the fireworks, the mayor's speech was also due and Regina took the stage. She had barely begun speaking, however, when Emma had staggered onto the stage, drunk as a skunk, clutching her neck and proclaiming into the microphone that she should hurry up with her babbling because she felt like getting laid.

"You should have seen your face!" laughed Emma, noting that even now the memory made Regina's entire face turn red.

"I'm surprised you even remember that, drunk as you were."

Emma shrugged. "Maybe I wasn't that drunk and just wanted to get into your bed," she grinned mischievously, stroking through Regina's silky hair.

"Whatever," it came from the latter as she rose from the bed. "I'm certainly not going to ask you to come. It will be noisy and boring, possibly cold, and everyone will ask awkward questions."

"We'll see, I'll decide on the spur of the moment." At least she was grateful to her for not adding her desolate physical condition to her list. "But for now, I want to go home."

Regina nodded and pushed the wheelchair standing in the corner of the room to Emma's bedside.

Immediately, Emma's eyebrow shot up. "What's that supposed to be? I'm certainly not sitting in that thing."

A sigh came from Regina as she braked the wheelchair. "Then I guess you'll have to stay here. It's a rule that I take you at least as far as the door in this."

Emma crossed her arms in front of her chest and stared at her challengingly. "Well, I guess we have a problem now, I'd say."

In disbelief, Regina shook her head at so much unreasonableness. "You'd rather stay here?"

"What I definitely want is to walk on my own two feet for as long as I can. Since I haven't gotten any calls or texts from anyone wanting to tell me how sorry they feel for me, I guess Mom and Dad kept their mouths shut for once. So the last thing I'm going to do now is letting you drive me around in this thing and risk someone seeing me do it. You know how quickly that kind of thing makes the rounds around here."

Before Regina could say anything back, Dr. Heart entered the room after a knock. "Emma, you're leaving us today. I hope you don't check back in here before your next chemo cycle," she gave her a quick wink. "But if you have any questions or you're not feeling well in any way, you can always call me and, of course, come here."

Emma nodded. "Sure. Regina will take care of that, don't worry." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her girlfriend roll her eyes. "Thank you for everything."

"Thank me when you're cancer-free," she nodded, holding the door open for the two of them.

"We're still having some teething problems at the moment," Regina couldn't help but say as she did so, glaring at Emma from dark eyes.

Heart laughed and then nodded. "I can guess what it's about. Well, no one can force you if you want to walk, Emma," it came from the doctor, who had grasped the situation immediately. "But you'll be glad for every step you don't have to take in the next few days."

Triumphantly, Emma looked at Regina and pushed herself up from the edge of the bed.

Then, as she went to reach for her bag, Regina slapped her on the fingers and linked arms with her, then slung the bag over her own shoulder instead. "Don't even think about it, Miss Swan!"

Heart laughed again and bid them both farewell, turning off into the nurses' station as Regina and Emma walked off in the other direction.

"1-0 to me. But you'd definitely make a good law enforcer," Emma grinned, gently stroking Regina's back.

"Just shut up, Emma."

Emma smiled and now continued to walk slowly beside her towards the exit. She couldn't have done it without Regina supporting her, and even with her help it strained her immensely to put one foot in front of the other, but at the same time she enjoyed the feeling of accomplishing something on her own and being allowed to leave the hospital. Her days had been determined by fixed plans and finally she could again decide for herself when she got up in the morning, what she wanted to eat and when, and how she wanted to spend her day.

"Are you all right?" Regina inquired when they were halfway across the parking lot. She felt Emma clinging tighter to her arm and her steps became more ponderous, possibly even before she felt it herself.

"I get to go home to you guys. It couldn't be better," she smiled, looking at Regina, whose face was still covered. Gently, she reached for the face mask and removed it to press a kiss to her lips.

"Emma!"

"You're my family, and I'm not going to give up being close to you without protective gear. I might as well kick the bucket then, what am I living for? Besides, my results from the last blood tests have gotten better again."

Regina didn't know what to say, just took a deep breath and hugged her tightly. After that, they walked the last bit to the car and Regina slowly became aware that the day she had been waiting for so long had finally come: she was allowed to take Emma home with her and no longer had to leave her alone after a much too short visiting time.

When Henry arrived home, he was greeted by absolute silence, interrupted only now and then by the gentle rustle of paper. After taking a peek into the living room, he also realized the reason.

Emma was lying asleep on the sofa, wrapped in a fleece blanket, while Regina sat next to her, hunched over the paperwork she had brought with her from City Hall, which was scattered all over the table.

When Regina noticed her son, she looked up and threw him a warm smile.

Henry pointed his finger toward the ceiling to indicate to her that he would go to his room while Emma was still asleep and left the room again.

Regina watched him go and then stacked the loose papers before leaning back on the sofa and looking at Emma, who was breathing calmly and evenly, moving only slightly now and then in her sleep. She had barely laid down after entering the house before she had fallen asleep. The tea that Regina had prepared for her in the kitchen during this time stood untouched and cold on the table. However, she wasn't surprised either. After all, her body was completely exhausted and she had walked farther than she had in a long time. Regina swallowed hard as she thought about the fact that it hadn't been two weeks since they had gone jogging together and done the hike. She couldn't remember ever hoping anything like she hoped now, that the treatment was actually helping Emma and not just torturing her to kill her in the end.

Before she could get any deeper into these thoughts, Regina got up and went to the kitchen. Henry was usually hungry when he got home from school, she herself hadn't eaten yet either, and if she was very lucky, possibly even Emma would eat a few bites when she woke up. So she fried a couple of eggs, put them on toasted slices of bread and packed another slice of ham on top. After Emma had made this so-called dish for the first time, she had eyed it skeptically, but in the end, she had to admit that it was quick and even tasted quite good. She was just about to set the plate aside for later, when she listened up.

"Regina?" it came sleepily and quietly from Emma in the living room.

Immediately Regina hurried off and was standing in the doorway a moment later.

Emma sat on the sofa and eyed her in wonder. "Where did you come from in such a hurry?"

A sigh escaped Regina before she entered the room more slowly and sat down next to her girlfriend. "You called," she indicated.

"Yeah, because I woke up and didn't know where you were. Generally, that's when you call out to the person you're looking for," she explained with amusement.

"I thought you weren't feeling well or that you needed something," Regina said, who you could tell was pissed because Emma was laughing at her.

"Hey." Emma was still smiling as she put an arm around Regina's shoulders and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "I was just kidding. Now smile."

Regina, however, sat stiff as a poler beside her and at one point rested her forehead in the palm of her hand. "I'm glad you're feeling better," she said, finally looking over at Emma. "But I'm downright panicked that it's going to change abruptly again and that you're going to need my help and I might not catch it. And then you'll be lying somewhere helpless and in pain and..."

"Regina! You're about to go into a panic attack again!", Emma interrupted her and took her by the upper arms. "You're going to calm down, take a deep breath, and stop imagining horror scenarios in the most dazzling colors."

"You don't understand!" Regina almost shouted.

"What don't I understand?"

"You're all I have! I can't fall in love again, I can't. Everyone I've ever loved has died."

Gently, Emma stroked her cheek and looked into her eyes. "I don't plan on dying."

"None of them were planning on dying. I just don't want to do anything wrong, but I'm afraid I won't be good enough for you, won't be able to take care of you the way you need it," she explained in a trembling voice.

"I may be sick, but I'm not made of sugar, Regina. One doesn't die that quickly and certainly not because you're doing anything wrong," Emma assured her, pulling her into her arms. The catheter on her chest pulled uncomfortably as she did so, but she ignored it and focused on her girlfriend who was shaking with agitation. "You do so much for me, I can never repay you. So don't worry about it, it's all right." Emma felt Regina trying really hard to breathe slowly and deeply, and that after a while she actually succeeded. "That's it," she whispered, stroking her hair while still holding her tightly with her other arm.

At some point Regina leaned back and ran her hands over her eyes before giving Emma a kiss and whispering honestly, "Thank you."

Emma nodded and squeezed her hand briefly before looking toward the hallway. "Is Henry home yet?"

"Yeah, he came in about half an hour ago and went upstairs since you were still asleep. I made some dinner in the meantime."

Emma pursed her lips in disgust at the very thought of food, but Regina got up and made her way toward the kitchen. "I've prepared something very light, you'll like it. And Dr. Heart said you have to eat." When she arrived in the hallway, she called Henry as she passed.

Emma rolled her eyes and put aside the blanket she had been lying under. Her doctor and Regina would really make a great couple. They always seemed to agree and know exactly what Emma needed and when. Slowly, the blonde stood up, shivering as she wrapped an arm around her torso, leaving the warmth of the sofa behind. With her free hand, she propped herself against the wall and walked step by step into the kitchen where Henry had already taken a seat. The smell of disinfectant hung in the air and Emma wrinkled her nose involuntarily. "Why does it smell like an operating room in here?"

"Emma!" came the delighted reply from Henry, who jumped up and put his arms around his mother.

The latter returned the hug before leaning back from him and looking at him in horror. "Okay, it's you. Why do you smell like OR?"

"Do you really think Mom would let me or anyone else near you without disinfection first?" her son asked in surprise, helping her to her chair.

"Regina, are you serious?", Emma wanted to know, watching her friend put the plate of sandwiches on the table.

"Your immune system is practically nonexistent. It's the least we can do to be at least a little careful," she said unimpressed, distributing drinks, plates and cutlery to all three places.

Emma shrugged and took one of the toasts on her plate. "If you think so. Do what you want to do." She eyed the food for a while, and when she didn't feel nauseous just looking at it, she reached for her knife and fork and weakly cut off a small corner, which she popped into her mouth.

Regina did her best not to watch her and instead put something on Henry's plate and her own. "How was school, Henry?"

Slowly, Emma chewed the bite and finally swallowed it. She had to grin when she noticed Regina starting to make small talk so she wouldn't feel like everyone was watching her eat and anxious to see her reaction. Concentrating, she prepared herself a second forkful.

"Nothing special," Henry replied in passing to his mother's question. "Actually, I've just been waiting for last lesson all day."

"Sounds familiar from my school days," Emma grinned, earning a punishing sideways glance from Regina.

Henry shrugged his shoulders. "Oh, actually, I like going to school. But after Mom told me yesterday that she was bringing you home today..." Again he shrugged and shoved a large piece of the toast into his mouth.

Emma smiled for a moment, touched, and then continued to eat in silence. She knew they were doing everything they could to make her feel good and to distract her from the fact that she was eating, but halfway through her toast, she put her cutlery aside anyway. "It tasted good. I'm glad to see that you were even able to learn another recipe from me," she said to Regina.

The latter, however, looked rather indecisively at the already small portion, of which Emma had left some.

"I can't have more, I'm sorry. Be happy if this stays where it belongs. But if you cover it for me, I might eat it in an hour or two," it came from her honestly.

Regina met her gaze and nodded. "Yeah, sure. I'll do that."

As she busily got up and covered Emma's plate with foil, Emma watched her wistfully. She knew how much she had lost weight, even though she had always forced herself to eat a little despite the chemo, and that this fact caused Regina great concern. But she couldn't suddenly change her eating habits just so she wouldn't worry. So she decided to come straight clean. "Regina?"

"Huh?" the brunette made, her eyes clearly already on alert again as she looked up.

"I'm sure it'll get better in the next few days, but I can't eat that much at once. It's not ill will or refusal of food, it just doesn't work. Food gets me best when I eat lots of small portions, nothing too spicy. I want you to know that and not push me to eat more because I'm really doing what I can." Full of discomfort, she looked away from them both and took a sip from her water glass.

"All right," it came simply from Henry, who had already eaten his third piece of toast and was now putting a hand on Emma's forearm. "I think it's good that you're telling us this. After all, we want you to be okay, right, Mom?"

A little taken off guard, Regina nodded, "Yes, of course we do."

Emma looked back and forth between the two and finally let her gaze rest on Henry. She felt that his warm hand on her arm gave her unexpected strength and she wondered if they would all be so relaxed if it weren't for him. He grounded her and Regina immensely and always seemed to have the right words ready in a tense situation. She even feared that without him, she and Regina would be arguing nonstop about what was best for her.

"Okay, so what do we do now?" it finally came from Henry, who was clearing the table. "Movie afternoon?" he then suggested.

"Fine with me. I didn't have much else planned anyway," it came slightly ironically from Emma, who looked expectantly at Regina.

"Why not," she also agreed after a brief pause for thought. "I actually have a ton of work to do, but what the heck. Tomorrow is another day."

"What do you have to do, Mom?" Henry inquired with interest.

Regina waved it off. "You know, the town festival. There's so much to organize, even though a lot is taken care of by the residents, like the decorations." She threw Emma a conspiratorial grin, which she returned. "But the main work, the one that no one sees anything of in the end, just falls to the mayor after all."

"If there's anything we can do to help, let me know. Killian's having my job and I have an incredible amount of time," Emma said, finally getting up from the table last.

Immediately Henry was with her and helped her into the adjoining living room.

Instead of protesting as usual, she gave her son a grateful smile and briefly squeezed his hand when they arrived back at the sofa.

"Thanks for the offer, maybe I'll take you up on it," Regina said with little conviction, holding up three DVDs to choose from.

"Hulk!" it came as if from the same mouth from Emma and Henry, making them both laugh heartily and Regina roll her eyes.