Giddy and over excited, those are the two words to describe Robin after they got back from their visit at his parents' house. It went well. Actually, it was better than he imagined it would be.
His family has finally come around when it comes to Regina and it made him extremely happy.
Things are going great between them and they have both agreed to straighten out their schedules so they can make that trip to Paris happen.
That's what he has been doing for two weeks straight. With an ongoing project, his attention is very much needed so he works extra hours to compensate for the time he's going to need for their planned trip.
"I can't believe I'm going to say this but Robin Locksley is going on a vacation. Wow…remind me to buy Regina one hell of a gift because she's done wonders with you", Mulan commented.
He beamed from ear to ear because that is true. Yes, he is a workaholic but that's because he loves his job but ever since he met Regina, his life shifted. He realized that life is not all about work, that he should try and live a little and Regina gave him the reason to do that.
"Well…we can only make that happen if we finish all this paperwork so I can go with my fiancé to Paris",
"I am so happy for you, Robin. I truly am. This is what I have been hoping for you…to find love and you did. Congratulations, you really deserve it", his friend said.
They worked in silence afterwards, covering as much as they can. As much as he wants to do more, he also wants to finish as early as possible so he can go home to Regina.
He misses her despite living with her every single day. He misses her smile, her brain, her humor, and just the way she makes him feel by just being herself.
It was already six in the evening when his phone started ringing.
"Go ahead. I'll just re-print these for your signature", Mulan said.
He picked up his phone and saw Emma's name on the screen.
"Hey, Emma. Did Killian tell you about—"
"Where the hell are you?" The blonde blurted out.
"At work…what's going on?"
"You have to get your ass here at the hospital right now. It's Regina—"
She did not need to say more because as soon as Emma said her name, Robin ended the call and grabbed his suitcase and coat leaving a very confused Mulan in his office.
He drove like a maniac, ignoring the calls on his phone. The word hospital and Regina in the same sentence did not sit well with him so he needs to get there as soon as possible.
When he arrived at the hospital, he saw the whole gang at the hallway along with Granny and a very distraught Cora.
"What happened?" He almost growled.
"Graham. He…he attacked Regina at the house", Killian answered.
"What?"
That's not possible. They had not heard about Graham in weeks since the party. Emma said they got the whole town covered. Everyone in Storybrooke knows of Graham so if he's spotted, the Sheriff's station would have been informed right away unless…
His eyes landed on Regina's mother who is staring onto the floor of the hospital.
"You…" he marched towards the woman but David blocked his way. "Did you bring that monster to our home?! Did you do this?! Hasn't she suffered enough?!"
By now, both David and Killian are stopping him from launching onto Cora who only stared at him.
She is now far from the sneering woman he met at the party. She looked…like a mess. Once put together and all composed, the woman he's seeing is the complete opposite.
"You think I…" Cora choked on her own sob before shaking her head. "I came there to talk to Regina. I just found out about your engagement and I was…upset she did not tell me. We…we had an argument and I left but…" she took a deep breath before gathering herself. "…I couldn't leave the town. For some reason, I couldn't so I went back…"
The woman started sobbing hard which stunned Robin. Yes, he is seeing a different side of Regina's mother. Granny went to the woman and comforted her the best way she can.
"It was her who found Regina and Graham. She said, she knocked him out with one of Regina's vase. I was on patrol when I saw her screaming hysterically outside of Regina's house. David brought Graham into the station while I called 911 and brought Regina here", Emma supplied.
There's a part of Robin that does not believe the woman would care enough for her own daughter like that but if it was not for her, Graham would not be caught.
He just hopes it's not too late.
Regina is still at the hospital and they have no clue how bad it was. He cursed himself for not being there. He was so focused in making the trip happen that he lost sight of the danger still present in Regina's life.
They've become too complacent. A few weeks of silence and peace and Graham had fooled them into thinking that it's all over when in reality, it was not.
Now, Regina has paid the price because of his lack of foresight. It was his fault. Mulan has offered to takeover for him few hours back and he declined. He insisted to stay because he wanted to finish the report and for what? What was he doing that for if he's going to lose Regina in the process?
"Hey…stop that", he glanced at Mary Margaret who has been staring at him. "It's not your fault. I know what you're thinking and you're wrong. There's no one to blame here than that monster who hurt Regina. He waited. He has been waiting for her to be alone. Why did you think he waited for Cora to leave the house before coming in? He planned the whole thing and it's not on you, Robin",
"I could have been there. If I had come home sooner—"
"Regina, would not want that. You know it. She would not want for the both of you to stop leaving your lives because of Graham. That's what she has been doing since you got back from your parents' house. Mary Margaret was right. It's not on you. It's on that monster", David added.
His logical self knows that but he made a promise to Regina. He promised her that he will not let anyone hurt her again and he failed. That's not something he can get over with quickly.
Dr. Whale finally emerges from the room and they all tensed up.
"So…straight to the point then", the doctor said once he noticed their anxious gazes. "Ms. Mills sustained a lot of injuries. Three fractured ribs, dislocated shoulder and jaw, both we've been able to straight back up. She has a severe concussion but no sign of brain bleed. It will take a few days for her to fully recover and once discharged, I advised for her not to engage in any strenuous activities", he laid out.
The list of her injuries took the oxygen out of Robin's lungs. She's hurt…badly hurt. That monster fractured her ribs. He dislocated her shoulder and jaw. She has a concussion for heaven's sake!
"…but the blood…" he glanced at Cora who looked extremely pale. "There was so many blood",
"Ah…most of them are not hers. I say your daughter fought back her attacker and she fought real hard. I think that's why she dislocated her shoulder to begin with. She's one brave woman to defend herself like that", Dr. Whale explained.
Regina fought back.
He could not help but feel proud upon hearing that because from what she told him, she has never done that before except for when she finally left Graham. It's a different kind of fighting back but not once she fought back against Graham before physically. Also, there's a voice inside his head nagging him that she should not need to fight Graham if he had been there in the first place.
"Here I thought Cora did a number on Graham", Robin turned to his friend David. "Well…he's pretty banged up too. Nasty blow to the head, scratches all over. Broken nose and a stab wound from a broken shard of glass. The paramedic stitched him up and gave the green light to just detain him in the station",
Regina did fight back.
"So, she's going to be alright?" He found himself asking.
Dr. Whale smiled at him genuinely. "Yes, I believe that she will be",
He never left the hospital even when everyone else told him to. To his surprise, Cora stayed there too.
Her hair is completely loose and she looked like she has aged a decade after just sitting there for hours.
"You should go home and rest. You looked like you're ready to collapse", he muttered.
Cora glanced at him before scoffing.
"You're one to talk", that made him smile a little. "You know…I was so upset that she did not tell me about the engagement that I did not think twice about driving all the way to Storybrooke to confront her. She looked so happy when she got home and then, we fought like we always did but that time…I don't know",
She casually waved her hands in the air.
"My big mouth opened and I knew I hurt her feelings but the thing about words is that once said, you can't take them back. I did not want to believe it. When she told us what Graham did to her, I did not want to believe it",
"Why didn't you?" Because Robin could not believe that a parent would willingly ignore her child's claim of being hurt by someone else.
"I am sure you knew she left the house after finishing law school", he nodded. "We lost contact with her for some time and the next time we heard from her was when she introduced Graham to us",
The woman smiled bitterly.
"I was so grateful to that man because he brought her back to us. I admit, I was not the best mother there is and I have shown it in all the wrong ways but I love my daughter. I only want what's best for her and that is for her to live a life where she does not have to go through where I've been through…a life full of struggle",
"When they got married, it was Graham who kept us updated about Regina, about her life, her work. He was our constant communication with her. We really thought that she found a great man who's willing to go through all that trouble just to keep us in the loop of our daughter's life and then…"
She took a deep breath.
"Regina came home telling us about the abuse she suffered and that she's divorcing Graham. I instantly dismissed her because I thought, 'what abuse? We never saw any abuse. She was happy. She has been happy'. Then, I saw the report, her medical history and even then, I tried to justify it because it did not fit the image I've come to know of the man who brought our daughter back to us, the man who made sure that we would not miss out of our daughter's life", she added.
Robin sighed as he digested all of that.
"He's feeding you lies so you would not suspect anything", he concluded.
"I did not know it then. Regina divorced Graham and she disappeared again. I resented what she did because once again, my daughter became a stranger to her own family. For so long, she has been telling me the truth and I refused to believe her. I refused to believe her earlier and she asked me what would it take for me to believe her", she took a deep breath as she glanced towards the Regina's room's door. "As I was driving, I finally accepted it and decided to come back and what I saw…"
She drew in a shaky breath. Robin could not take it any longer and he pulled the woman in his arms. He may not have been there but he understood. He has not seen what she saw but he feels the pain in his chest.
"I am her mother…and I failed her completely. This is all my fault!" She cried.
He shook his head as he rubbed the woman's back.
"No, it's not. It's not your fault", he whispered unsure whether she's the one he's convincing or himself.