"Nothing, they say is more certain than death, and nothing more uncertain than the time of dying."

~Thomas Paine

Chapter 50

It was just nearing 3:30 AM in the in the mayoral mansion, and an excruciatingly tired Emma Swan was resting in the master bedroom. Her body was desperately craving sleep, but she didn't want to go to bed until she knew that Regina was ready to do so herself. Emma knew that lying down was probably a bad idea, but she had come to a point where she just couldn't help herself. There were a few points where Emma could feel herself drifting, but she always managed to force her eyes open again. Each time she did this she immediately checked the door to the bathroom and found that it was still closed and the light was still on inside.

"Emma?" A whispered voice asked.

Emma glanced towards the door to the hallway and saw her mother standing there.

"Oh, hey," she replied, sleepily sitting up.

"I thought you might be asleep." Mary Margaret said, moving into the bedroom. "You must be exhausted."

"I'm fine." Emma shrugged, even though in truth she felt pretty awful. She knew she couldn't take another sleepless night but she couldn't just leave Regina to fend for herself either.

Mary Margaret folded her arms, glancing at the bathroom door. She moved to sit beside Emma and dropped her voice a little. "How's Regina doing? Is she feeling any better?"

Emma nodded, "I think so. The Tylenol was a big help, but she still has a bit of a fever and her muscles were feeling pretty sore. She decided to take a warm bath to try to soothe them."

"That's a good idea. It will probably help her to sleep afterwards as well."

"That's what she's hoping."

"How about her dizziness? Is it still bothering her?"

"Only a little, but I think she slept a lot of it off. I got the bathtub ready for her and stuff but she was able to do everything else on her own."

"That's good to hear," Mary Margaret said in relief.

She knew how important self-sufficiency was to her stepmother, and while she could tell that Regina was grateful for their assistance, she could also see that Regina was disheartened by the restraints her illness had been placing on her.

"Is Henry alright?" Emma asked. "I can't imagine how hard it was for him to have to see Regina that way. I could tell that he was scared but I was too focused on trying to get Regina's fever under control. Thanks for looking after him."

"Don't mention it, I was glad to." Mary Margaret smiled. "He's gone back to sleep now. He fell asleep downstairs so David brought him up to your room, I hope that's okay?"

"Yeah, of course it is."

"We were going to bring him back in here but with everything that's going on we thought he might get a better rest in your room tonight."

"Yeah that's fine. I'm glad at least someone's getting some sleep."

Mary Margaret smiled. "He claimed he wasn't tired but he wasn't fooling anyone. He fell asleep on a stool at the kitchen counter."

"Well it was a long day for him."

Mary Margaret nodded gently. "For all of us."

Emma nodded distractedly, she had a faraway look in her eyes. "I'm just going to see if Regina needs anything."

"Okay."

Emma stood up and went to the bathroom door, knocking gently on it. "Regina? It's me. How are you doing in there? Is everything alright?"

"Fine," came Regina's distant reply.

"'Kay, just thought I'd check. Don't want you falling asleep in the tub," Emma teased. Her smile faded when there was no response. "Is there anything I can get for you?"

She waited for a reply.

"Regina?"

"No, thank you Emma."

"Okay, well I'll just be out here if you need me. Don't hesitate to ask if you need help with anything; you shouldn't push yourself."

Emma waited for a reply, but if Regina had responded Emma didn't hear it. She suppressed a sigh, and went to sit down on the bed again. She closed her eyes, rubbing them gently with her fingertips in an attempt to wake herself up.

"You look terrible Emma," Mary Margaret observed quietly. "You should get some sleep too, I'll stay here and make sure Regina gets back to bed alright."

"No it's okay, you can go back to sleep if you want. Regina will be done soon anyway."

Mary Margaret smiled sadly, giving a small nod of understanding. "I'll wait with you."

Emma returned her smile. "Thanks Mary Margaret."

David entered the room just then, holding his cell phone. "Well, it sounds like the border's still a problem. There are less people than there were during the day but if we did try to get Regina out of Storybrooke it could get messy. There's a lot more of them than there are of us and once word gets out that she's leaving there could be a riot. Bringing her out into that could be fatal."

Emma shook her head in disgust. "They must know by now how sick she is." She said in a low voice, not wanting Regina to hear. "Word must have gotten around. They all know about her suicide attempt, they have to know that doing something like that has ramifications. Are they seriously wanting to condemn her to a death like this? No one deserves this."

"It's hard to say what they know." David responded. "Regina's current health wasn't common knowledge prior to the curse breaking and so a lot of people think that her illness is just a rumour."

"Are you kidding me? A rumour?!"

David nodded. "They believe the real truth is that she's just afraid to face them because she knows that without her magic she's powerless. They know she wants to leave town but they believe it's so she doesn't have to deal with the consequences of what she's done. As for her suicide attempt, they now see it as an act of cowardice rather than one of heartache."

"Hold on," Emma said, raising her hand to stop him. "They know that she's scared, and they know that she can't protect herself against them, and yet they still want to kill her?! I'm sorry but I have absolutely no respect for anyone willing to harm a defenceless person, no matter who they are."

David shrugged, at a loss for what to say. "Regina stole their lives from them, changed who they are. That's not something they're ready to forgive so easily. I'm not saying I condone their actions, but we have to remember that they're afraid too."

Emma heaved a frustrated sigh. "So you're saying that trying to leave town right now would be a bad idea?"

"I'm saying we need to have a plan first."

Emma took a moment to think this over. "Cowardice," she repeated loathingly. "They're the cowards. They don't even want to give her a chance."

"Before the curse broke, all that the townspeople knew was that Regina was a mother who was heartbroken by the loss of her son. But now they think she took those pills because she knew the curse was about to break and she panicked." David explained.

"Tomorrow night. We're leaving tomorrow night."

"Emma–"

"What?! I would leave right now if I didn't think there was a good chance I could pass out at the wheel. You said there are less people patrolling at night, so we'll go tomorrow. Who cares about the townspeople, I'll run them down if I have to. I'm not letting them do this to her."

"But Emma, your father just warned us of how dangerous it would be to bring Regina out into that," Mary Margaret reminded her a little frantically. "There may be less people out at night but that doesn't mean they'll be any less hostile."

"And Emma, it wouldn't just be Regina's life you'd be putting in danger, it'll be yours and Henry's too." David added.

"I'm aware of the risks..." Emma said in an almost defeated tone. "But we're out of time and right now it's our best shot. You know what the doctor said, Regina may only have a few days left before things get really critical." Emma's voice dropped even lower. "If we wait too long the damage is going to be irreversible. Brain damage is not something I want to add to Regina's list of health problems, and if we wait too long that's what's going to happen."

"But she doesn't have that yet right?" Mary Margaret asked in a whisper.

"No but like I said she could be showing early signs of encephalopathy. She's being poisoned by her own body and that's not something you or I can fix. But right now there is still time to prevent that condition from fully developing. However, the worse her kidneys get, the greater the risk of that happening. She needs to get to a hospital immediately or..." Emma blinked back a few tears, not being able to finish her sentence.

Mary Margaret and David shared a defeated look.

"She's right David..." Mary Margaret said quietly. "Regina can't stay here. We can't assume that the situation in town will get any better if we wait."

He nodded in resigned agreement. "Okay. We'll help you get her out of Storybrooke tomorrow night Emma."

Emma nodded her thanks. She then breathed a heavy, tired sigh. "So who was it that you were talking to just now?"

"Ruby."

"What the hell is Ruby doing still up at this hour?" She wondered.

"It's wolf's time," Mary Margaret answered. "She never did sleep much around the full moon."

"Oh..." Emma nodded slowly, "of course it is. Why didn't I think of that." She said a little sarcastically.

Both of her parents had looks of sympathy in their eyes; they knew this was all still an adjustment for her.

Emma ran her hand distractedly over the blankets on the mattress beside her. "We'll come up with a mission plan tomorrow, we could all use the sleep tonight. A good rest will help us to think."

"I agree, we'll all have a better perspective once our minds have had a break." Mary Margaret responded.

However, Emma appeared not to be listening anymore. She was still gazing down at the unmade blankets on the bed beneath them.

"I think I'm going to change these while Regina's still in the bath." She announced, standing up.

"The sheets?"

"Yeah, they were only changed a few days ago but Regina's spent a lot of time in here since then. Fresh sheets are supposed to help give you a more restful sleep."

Mary Margaret gave a soft smile. "That's thoughtful of you, but why don't you let David and I do that? You really need to get your rest Emma, especially if you'll be driving to Boston tomorrow night. Regina will be fine, we'll look after her."

"No it's okay, I want to."

Mary Margaret shared a look with David, before nodding softly in response to their daughter. "Okay. Just so long as you let me help?"

Emma gave her a small, grateful smile. "Thanks," she said, leaving to retrieve a new set of bedclothes from the closet.

Regina emerged from the ensuite about fifteen minutes later, already dressed in a fresh pair of pajamas. When she had opened the door, the sound of the bathtub still draining could be heard from inside, and a cloud of perfumed humidity followed the queen into her bedroom.

As Regina switched off the bathroom light, Mary Margaret stood up from where she had been sitting on the bed.

"Hey," the younger woman smiled. She was pleased to see that Emma had been right about Regina's dizziness having mostly faded away. Regina was able to walk unsupported now, and although she was still moving quite gingerly as though each step was very taxing, her skin had a much healthier glow to it.

"Are you feeling any better?" Mary Margaret asked.

Regina gave her a warm smile. "I am, thank you. The bath really helped."

"I'm glad to hear that."

Regina breathed a soft sigh, she was happy to be feeling a little more like herself thanks to the wonders of a little Tylenol and a relaxing soak in the tub. Her gaze wandered behind her stepdaughter to where she noticed Emma fast asleep on the side of the bed previously occupied by Henry. The blonde seemed to have fallen asleep on top of the blankets, and someone–most likely Mary Margaret–had placed a blanket over top of her.

"Emma fell asleep a few minutes ago, I thought it best to just leave her. She's barely had any sleep in two days." Mary Margaret explained.

"She does need her rest." Regina agreed quietly, feeling a tug of guilt in her heart for tearing Emma away from her long overdue sleep.

Mary Margaret nodded softly, glancing back at her daughter before studying her stepmother again. "And so do you. Emma thinks it might be best to leave Storybrooke tomorrow night, in which case you'll both need lots of sleep."

"Tomorrow." Regina repeated with a faraway look in her eyes. She gave a small nod of agreement, but as she moved around to the other side of the bed, Mary Margaret was sure she saw a look of dread on her stepmother's face.

"Don't worry, everything's going to be fine, I know it will." Mary Margaret assured her, occupying her seat at the foot of the bed again.

"I'm sure." Regina responded with a smile, although Mary Margaret could see that it was forced.

Regina swallowed uncomfortably. "Where's my son?"

"Henry's asleep in Emma's room. We were in the kitchen earlier and I was going to make him some cocoa to try to cheer him up a bit, but he fell asleep before the kettle even boiled."

Regina gave another soft sigh as she carefully got back into bed. She was cautious not to pull on the blankets too hard as Emma was still sleeping on top of them.

"Emma told me earlier that you and David offered to stay here until we can get to Boston, thank you for that. Although I am sorry I pulled you all away from your sleep tonight."

"Don't be, we were just relieved we were able to help." Mary Margaret responded.

Regina gave her a small, grateful smile, but it quickly faded as she looked away from her stepdaughter.

Mary Margaret recognized the look in her eyes. "Regina, don't feel ashamed of what happened here tonight. It wasn't your fault. And anyone with a fever that high is likely to be subject to hallucinations."

Regina took a shaky breath as she felt a wave of emotions coming on. "I just feel so terrible about it."

"About seeing your mother?"

"About scaring Henry. He didn't need that."

"He knows it was because of the fever, he wasn't scared once we explained to him what was happening."

Regina nodded gratefully. "Thank you."

Mary Margaret smiled, but her expression soon changed as she realized Regina was blinking back a few tears.

She studied Regina for a moment or two. "Do you want to talk about what Cora said to you?"

Regina wrapped her arms around her waist, she shook her head. "No." She whispered. "It wasn't real anyways."

"But for a short time it was real. To you it was anyways. It's okay to be upset about it."

Regina gave a tiny nod, but didn't offer a response.

"Do you remember it all this time? Or was it like what happened yesterday afternoon?"

Regina sniffled. "I don't know. I do remember most of what happened... but I'm still not quite sure what was real and what wasn't. Some of it has gone a little fuzzy."

Regina's gaze drifted towards Emma, and Mary Margaret noted the exhaustion she could see in her stepmother's eyes. She could tell that Regina was longing to go back to sleep too.

"Well," Mary Margaret said softly. "If you do change your mind I'd be happy to listen. But again, please don't feel bad about tonight because it could have happened to anyone. I'll let you get your rest now. I just wanted to stay to make sure you were alright before I went back to bed."

"Thank you, that was thoughtful of you. And thank you for all of your help today."

"You're welcome Regina." Mary Margaret smiled. "Goodnight, I hope you sleep well."

"Goodnight Mary Margaret." Regina's eyes softened.

Once her stepdaughter had left the room, Regina shifted in her seat in an attempt to find a more comfortable position before lying down. Unfortunately for Emma, as Regina did this she accidentally tugged on the blankets a little too hard and ended up disturbing the blonde's rest.

Regina froze as Emma moaned softly and began to stir in her sleep. Emma's eyes fluttered open moments later, and she dazedly passed a hand over her face as her senses began to kick in. She blinked herself awake as she took in her surroundings and remembered where she was.

She looked around and noticed the brunette sitting beside her.

"Regina, hey. Sorry," She mumbled tiredly as she sat up. "Didn't mean to fall asleep." She yawned into her hand.

"And I didn't mean to wake you up." Regina replied softly. "I hope you'll forgive me."

"It's–" Emma yawned again. "It's fine."

She quickly took in Regina's appearance, not having seen her since before her bath. The tips of Regina's hair were damp from the water, and the sweet smell of the bath soap was wafting mildly from her skin. She looked much more content than she had before the bath, and it made a tremendous difference from when they had first found her a little over an hour-and-a-half previously.

"How are you feeling?" Emma asked. "You look a lot better than before, do you feel any better?"

"I do thank you." Regina replied.

"A good soak in the tub can fix anything," Emma grinned. "I'm really glad it helped."

"As am I."

The brunette was beginning to settle into her side of the bed when Emma realized she was lying on top of the blankets.

"Oh, sorry." Emma said, immediately getting up. "Hey you weren't just going to let me sleep like that were you? You could have woken me if I was going to be in your way."

"You weren't in my way."

"You sure?"

Regina gave her a small smile, nodding her head softly in response. She breathed a tired sigh as she settled into her pillow and pulled the blankets over herself. Once she was comfortable, she looked up at Emma as the blonde sat down again.

When Emma next met Regina's gaze, she noticed the dispirited look in the brunette's eyes.

"So, you've been having a pretty rough day haven't you?"

Regina made an unimpressed noise. "I'll be glad when this is all over." She inwardly cringed when she realized how that may have sounded. "I mean... I didn't mean I would be glad if I... What I meant was–"

"It's okay, I know what you meant." Emma assured her softly. She folded her arms, rubbing her hands across them in an attempt to warm herself up as her tiredness made her feel chilly. She stood up enough to lift the covers and slide underneath them.

"Regina... I didn't want to ask before because you were so upset... but your hallucinations, you saw your mom. She was trying to hurt Henry?"

Regina closed her eyes, "yes."

"Are you worried about Henry? Because I made a promise to you that I intend to keep. I won't let anything happen to either of you."

Regina gave a destitute sigh. "It doesn't matter, it wasn't real. And I should have known that it wasn't real. I should have been able to tell. My mother, for one, is dead, and even if she wasn't, there's no way she could possibly be in this world. I would just like to forget that tonight ever happened."

Emma nodded slowly, she could tell that what Regina had seen was still bothering her, but it was clear that the brunette didn't want to talk about it.

"The mind does crazy things." Was Emma's chosen reply. "Just think about what it can come up with in our dreams. But when bad things happen in our dreams, they can't really hurt us you know. Don't let it get to you."

Regina sniffled as she felt a few more tears coming on. "Did I scare Henry very badly? I didn't get the chance to apologize to him, or even to talk to him about it."

"Henry's fine. He understands what happened."

Regina nodded her appreciation, but as she dropped her gaze Emma noticed that her eyes were still filled with guilt and worry. Emma felt her heart tug sadly as she noticed Regina wipe a tear away before settling more comfortably into her pillow. It was clear that Regina wanted to sleep, but Emma couldn't bring herself to leave her.

"I'll stay with you until you fall asleep." Emma said softly. "You shouldn't have to be alone."

"That's very sweet of you Emma, but you don't have to do that. I'll be fine. You should try to get some sleep of your own, you need the rest more than anyone."

"To be fair, I don't think anyone needs sleep more than you do."

"I've had lots of rest," Regina responded softly. "It's just that my hours of sleep don't seem to count for as much anymore. You on the other hand haven't had a full night's sleep in over two days."

Emma nodded, rubbing her eyes tiredly again. "Only two days? Feels more like five."

"Even more to my point." Regina said, closing her eyes as she appreciated the comfort of her pillow. It was then that she noticed the crispness of the blankets she had bundled herself in, and the freshly laundered smell of the sheets and pillowcase.

"Did you change the sheets?"

"Yeah," Emma responded. "I thought a clean set might help you get a better sleep. I've heard that works."

Regina had a touched look in her eyes. "Thank you."

"I just want to make sure I'm doing everything I can." Emma replied softly.

Regina closed her eyes again. "Emma you're doing more than enough."

"It hasn't been feeling like that lately," Emma replied quietly.

Regina blinked her eyes open again and noticed the destitute look in Emma's eyes. The blonde was leaning back against the headboard and staring off into the distance. She had pulled the blankets up to her waist and had her arms wrapped tightly around them.

"Emma, were it not for you I most certainly wouldn't have made it this far. Trust me, you're doing enough." Regina insisted gently.

Emma looked down at the brunette lying beside her. "But if I had been properly doing my job you wouldn't still be trapped in this town without medical care."

"Emma it's not your job to take care of me." Regina replied softly.

"But I want to Regina." Emma responded. "I hate seeing you suffer. And I have to disagree with you... Now that I'm a mother it's my job to look after my kid. And right now looking after Henry means making sure you're okay. So in a way it kind of is my job to take care of you. Besides, I've gotten pretty used to having you around." Emma grinned. Her expression softened as she saw a small smile on Regina's lips as well. "And like I said earlier, you're the first real friend I've ever had Regina. I don't want to lose you."

Regina reached for Emma's hand and closed her eyes again. "You're not so bad yourself Miss Swan." She said softly.

Emma breathed a laugh. "Thanks," she said, before inadvertently yawning heavily into her free hand. "Sorry," she mumbled, moving further under the covers so she could lie down. The need to sleep was nearly overwhelming.

Seeing how exhausted Emma was caused Regina to feel another wave of guilt.

"I apologize for pulling you all away from your sleep tonight." Regina said quietly, finding it easier to look at Emma now that they were at eye level with each other.

"What; so you mean this wasn't all just a clever ruse to have a pajama party with everyone?" Emma teased gently, forcing her eyes open but finding it difficult to keep them from immediately shutting again.

Regina breathed a small laugh, but the light didn't quite reach her eyes. "It's just, I know how much you needed your rest. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Emma replied softly, managing to keep her eyes open this time. "It's better that we were able to bring your fever down when we did. It would have been a lot worse if we had waited until the morning."

Regina gave a small nod, knowing Emma was right.

"Besides, I've always wanted to have a slumber party with my parents, a ten year old and a former Evil Queen." Emma grinned.

Now Regina did give a small smile, but it soon faded.

"What is it?" Emma asked softly.

"Tonight. I just feel so horrible for scaring all of you. Not to mention a little embarrassed." Regina answered quietly.

"Why should you feel embarrassed? It wasn't your fault your fever skyrocketed. Anyone in your position could have had hallucinations."

"I suppose so."

"Hey," Emma said gently, giving Regina's hand a comforting squeeze. "I'm sure it was scarier for you than it was for any of us. We were all just relieved it wasn't something worse. At least the fever was something that could be easily dealt with. When I heard you scream I thought someone might have broken into the house. I'm not kidding when I say I was preparing to go all Jackie Chan on their ass."

Regina gave another small laugh and Emma was pleased to see that this time it reached her eyes.

"Seriously though," Emma's smile faded. "When I heard you screaming..." She bit her lip, shaking her head as the memory tormented her.

Regina's eyes filled with saddened curiosity as she waited for the few moments it took for Emma to continue.

"There was a minute there when I thought..." Emma sighed, not being able to finish. "Well anyways... I'm just really glad you're okay Regina." She finished quietly, letting her eyes fall closed as the need to sleep continued to draw her in.

Regina was silent for a few moments as the words washed over her. She swallowed back her emotions as she blinked back a few more tears.

"Emma?" She whispered.

"Yeah?" Emma's eyelashes fluttered open again.

She grew concerned when she saw the tears in her friend's eyes. "Regina what is it?"

"It's just–" Regina sniffled again, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. "I don't know what I would do without you Emma."

Emma's eyes softened as she reached to place a comforting hand on Regina's arm, which was resting partially underneath her own pillow.

"Well, you don't have to worry about that Regina. For as long as you still want me around, I'll always be here for you."

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A/N: Thank you for reading, please don't forget to review. xx