Disoriented and confused…those were the first two things that registered in Regina's brain as she began to regain consciousness. There is a fog in her brain that's pulling her under but she fought it off, wanting to finally see something else other than the darkness.
Then, she finally heard voices. Two people talking close to her but she could not make them out or what they were saying. She fought harder despite just wanting to sleep. She wants to know who are the people around her. Little by little, she finally made sense of the voices she's hearing. It was Robin…and her mother.
That is an odd combination.
Her panic surged. Knowing her mother, she must have been giving him a hard time especially after finding out about their engagement. She needs to be awake to be there for him, to make her mother understand that she really loves him and it's him she wants to spend the rest of her life with.
"Well…I must tell you that I already have a few ideas for your wedding", wait…what? "It's not up for debate. I may like you for Regina but I don't trust your taste in organizing a proper wedding my only daughter deserves so…I'll handle it. Don't worry. It's going to be perfect", her mother said.
Her mother approves. She had given them her blessing. Her heart leaps out in joy which motivates her to jump on that last step to wake up.
When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw is her mother smiling down at her. It's been so long since she last saw her mother looked at her that way. There had only been a few times but those times, she always treasured.
"Mommy?"
She was afraid to say it first because she knows how her mother felt about her calling her that but she did not expect for her mother to start crying.
"Mommy, what's wrong? Are you alright?"
She suddenly regretted calling her that again because it had upset her mother so badly that she cried.
"Nothing…nothing's wrong, sweetheart. I am just so happy you're finally awake",
Soon, the doctor came and fussed around her, checking for anything that could be wrong. He had informed her of the injuries she sustained which brought her back to the reason why she's in that strange room.
She's in a hospital.
That's why her mother had been crying, why she was so relieved to see her awake. She's in a hospital because Graham had paid her a visit in her house.
"Regina, just take a deep breath. You have to relax", the doctor said.
She looked at him confusingly because she is calm. She is relaxed. She is lying on a hospital bed doing nothing.
"Deep breaths so we can lower down your heart rate. Just follow my lead", the doctor went on.
Despite being lost, she did as told and copied the doctor's breathing. After a few tries, she finally heard the machine beeping rapidly before it even out.
Oh…
She had not realized that her heart rate spiked. It usually happens whenever she thinks about Graham but this time, it's different. He managed to send her to the hospital and everyone knows. Even her mother is there.
"Robin?"
"Hey, I'm here", she felt his hand covering hers first before she saw him. "How are you feeling?"
There is that smile that never failed to make her feel better.
"Like I've been beaten up", the smile fell and she instantly regretted her response. "Where is he?" She has to ask.
He let them believe that everything is over but in truth, he was just waiting for his opportunity to strike and he did. She's not going to fall for the same trick again.
"At the station. David has locked him up. Gold called Emma and has arranged for Graham to be transferred to the state prison. He wanted him to be as far away from you as possible", Robin answered.
"That's a relief…"
Of course, since he's in prison a trial is sure to follow and that is another course of hell for her but she can deal with that later.
"Now, I know I've said this to your family but I'll say this again to you. You're a driven woman with a very important job but you must rest and allow your body to heal from your injuries. It might be hard for you but your body will thank you later on if you follow my advice", the doctor said.
She can already see the smirk on Robin's face as he watched her digest what the doctor said. Resting. Well, she can always work from home but she's not sure whether Robin will let her do even that. He can be a really annoying nurse sometimes.
"Thank you, doctor", she simply replied, not wanting to prolong the conversation.
When the doctor left, she glanced towards Robin and her mother and she can sense that the two had finally reached some sort of a common ground and no longer hostile with one another. Well…at least, her mother is no longer hostile towards Robin and he is more comfortable now around her.
"So…I heard you're intending to plan my wedding, Mother?"
The two looked at each other with wide eyes.
"You heard that?" Robin asked.
"It's the first thing I heard when I woke up",
Her mother then clasped her hands before sitting next to her.
"Then, great…I don't have to repeat myself. Like I said, I have a few ideas. I was thinking that for the venue we can use the country-house. It's big enough to house guests and there's the nature and the breathtaking view, of course…" her mother started launching about her plans for her wedding and she let her.
It's far from the reaction she got when she found her mother in her house, expressing her disappointment about the engagement. She made a mental note to thank Robin later on for changing her mother's mind.
Meanwhile, Robin winced as he listened to her mother's rambling. It is all amusing seeing how overwhelm he already is just by listening to her.
"So, what do you think?" Her mother finished.
"Mommy…I am not looking for a grand wedding so a tons of guests is not going to be necessary…" she saw the way her mother's smile faded a bit. "…but, I am not opposed to the country-house. I love that place and Robin has not been there yet. It's a beautiful place which is perfect for the occasion", she added.
It lift her mother's spirits up. Perhaps, she thought that she is shutting down all her inputs about her wedding. True, she intends for it to be small and intimate but seeing her mother get all excited about it for her and not for show is more rewarding.
She watched as her mother showed the pictures of the country-house to Robin from her phone all the while chatting about how they bought the place and the times they spent there.
It is obvious that Robin likes the place in an instant. She knew how much Robin loves nature so the country-house is a perfect place for them to hold the wedding.
Her mother's phone suddenly rang which disrupted their discussion.
"Oh, it's your father. He's been calling every two hours to check up on you", she frowned but let her mother continue. "He's tied up in London but he said he cut off the trip to get back here. I'll just take this outside",
When her mother left the room, Robin sat closer to her as he held her hand. The smile is gone from his face and his eyes reflected something she cannot decipher.
"What is it?"
"I'm so sorry, Regina",
"What? What are you apologizing for?"
"I should have been there. I could have come home sooner but I chose to stay in the office longer to finish some stupid paperwork…I…it's my fault—"
"Okay. Stop. Robin, I will not hear any more of that. This is not your fault. You're not the one who did this to me and honestly, I was glad you weren't there because he could have hurt you as well and that…that is something I cannot bear. You have nothing to say sorry for. Do you hear me?"
She knows it will take a lot than that to convince him that he did not do anything wrong but she needs him to understand that it's not his fault.
"I vowed to protect you…"
"That you did…and you did that, Robin", he frowned at her. "You made me realize that I am stronger than who I was. When I did not believe in myself, you did it for me. You never tired in convincing me every single day that I am worth it, that I am stronger, a survivor. In that moment when Graham showed up at the house, I froze. I became paralyzed with fear because that's how I'd always been when it comes to him but then…"
She took his hands and held it close to her heart.
"I remember all the things you said to me, all the things you did for me, and I overcame that fear. I fought, Robin. That's something I never did before. I fought so hard and that is all thanks to you. You did that. So, yes…you protected me and so much more. Your belief in me made me fought for the future I want so badly to have with you", she said.
She remembered the desperation in her as she fought Graham with all her might. It was futile considering he's twice her size but she tried, nonetheless. She did not want to disappoint Robin and the people who love her by going down without a fight. If she's going to die, she wanted to take him down with her.
"I am so proud of you, Regina. When David told me how bad that monster's state was, I was so proud on how you fought him but…I don't want you to have to fight anyone else again, Regina. This…seeing you here, I can't…"
"I know", she stopped him because she understands. If the situation is reversed, she would not know what to do either.
He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. If she's not tied to the bed, she would have seek for more but she knows they cannot take it any further, not soon anyway.
When he pulled away, the smile is back on his face before his eyes trailed and linger on something. His finger traced something on her skin and she realized, she must have been covered in bruises and cuts. That's what he is seeing. That's why he cannot even stop blaming himself.
"I'll be fine, Robin. I have you. I will be fine", she reassured him.
There is that irritating pain on her torso but she did not say a thing. It will only add to his guilt and she wants to spare him as much as she can.
"So…you and Mother, huh",
That made him chuckle.
"She's a lot less scary and intimidating once she lowered her guards and let people see who she really is. I can see where you inherited that from",
"Are you saying I was scary when you first met me?"
"What? No. Not scary…but you can be quite intimidating when you want to be. It's hard to read you when your face is just blank",
That is true. It's a trick she learned from her mother. She figured if that works for Cora Mills, then, it will work on her too.
"I am glad you and Mother are on good terms now",
He smiled at her before drawing patterns on the back of her hand.
"Well…she's not really that bad once the layers were gone. Also…she kinda saved your life",
"How so?"
"She came back…after she left the house. I did not know why but she said she could not leave Storybrooke without talking to you again so she came back and she found Graham…she's the one who knocked him out and called for help. She was in quite a state when I got here",
That would explain the relief in her mother's face when she finally woke up. She must have given the woman a scare.
"I guess she finally believes me", she muttered.
"My love…I think she has always believed you. She just had fallen into Graham's trap", trap? "He used to send her pictures of the two of you being all happy. He kept her updated about your lives, making her believe that everything was fine. You two had drifted apart so what Graham used to do…it meant a lot to her that she has gotten to be included in your life even from afar. Accepting that as part of a ruse or an elaborate manipulation was difficult for her, I guess…so she chose to live in a bubble…but deep down, I think she knew you were telling the truth",
Graham used to take selfies of the two of them all the time. He never told her what that was for but she did not bother finding out either. Now, she knows. It's for her mother's benefit. To keep her at bay so she would not suspect anything.
Now, she understood why her mother had been so favorable to Graham. She thought of him as a bridge between them and when she informed her that it was all a lie, she had a hard time accepting that the man had been fooling her.
…but in a way, she believed her.
She made the effort to dig up paper trail of her allegations against Graham. She even came back for her after their argument at her house.
Cora then returned inside the room.
"So…your father will arrive today. He just boarded. He's also been informed of your engagement and the wedding. He said he'll take care of the arrangements to the country-house and…I am not allowed to arrange the decorations! If you can believe the nerve of the man! I mean, what does he know anyway about flowers? He never planned for a party in his life! That father of yours…"
The two of them just laughed as her mother went on and on about her father.