A/N: Hey guys, I am sorry for the wait, I know I promised it would be shorter this time. I tried to have this chapter posted earlier but I've been having difficulty uploading this chapter to the website, however I was finally able to get it to work this morning! I hope you're having a good weekend and I hope you like the new chapter, please review after reading.
Storybrooke: 9:20 PM
Emma was lingering woefully in the doorway to Regina's bedroom. As she gazed into the dark, quiet room, there were tears in her eyes which she didn't even bother to try holding back. She knew she was alone upstairs, but even so, on this wretched evening she found herself not caring if her parents or son saw her cry.
A hushed sob escaped her lips as she wrapped her arms around her shivering form. She felt almost afraid to enter. It was as though her heart was telling her that if she did not go into the room, then she would still be able to tell herself that perhaps her family was mistaken about Regina. However as her gaze lingered on the bed, her eyes were clearly proving to her that they weren't.
Finally gathering the strength to move her legs, Emma treaded slowly across the carpet, her footsteps barely making a sound.
When she reached the bed she unintentionally let herself collapse gently to the floor; her hands grabbed onto the bedclothes as her knees hit the ground beneath her.
She gave another wavering sob as she pressed her face into the blankets hanging over the side of the bed. It took all the strength she could muster to keep from screaming out in anger. This wasn't the way it was supposed to be.
Feeling a tear stream down her face, she forced herself to raise her head again.
"I'm sorry Regina," she whispered, even though she knew the brunette couldn't hear her.
THREE HOURS EARLIER
The house was quiet as the trip to Boston slowly drew nearer.
Emma was making her way up to the second floor after just having been on the phone with her mother. The Sheriff was trying to keep a tab on the situation in town as best she could so she would know what they would be dealing with when the time came to leave.
She entered Regina's bedroom, which is where she had spent the majority of the afternoon, and once again found Henry and Regina nestled together in bed. Regina's eyes were open, but she was blinking tiredly as spoke soft words to her son. At first Emma couldn't hear her, but as she came to sit down beside them she caught on to Regina's words. She was telling Henry about his first day of kindergarten.
"You wouldn't let go of my hand," Regina was saying to him as she brushed her fingers through his hair. "You kept asking if I would come inside with you."
"Is it because I had never spent the day away from you before?" The ten-year-old asked, not lifting his head from where he was resting against her chest.
"No," Regina said softly. "Ever since the age of one you attended daycare. I think you were more nervous about the change. But I had also just taken two weeks off from work, I think you'd gotten used to spending the day together."
"Two weeks must have felt like months to me, I remember summers feeling like forever when I was little."
"Mmm," Regina agreed, closing her eyes.
"I guess I ended up going into the school?"
"You did."
"How?"
"Your teacher asked if you wanted to hold her hand. It took a minute or so but eventually you agreed."
"I think I do remember that now."
"Mrs. Brown..." Regina remembered the kindly older woman. "I spoke to her at the end of the day, she said you adjusted relatively quickly once you saw that there was nothing to be afraid of in the classroom. That first day was just about getting to know the other students and playing a few games. You were so excited by the end of the day; you couldn't wait to go back."
"I remember running to you when you came to get me at the end of the day. I did do that right?"
Regina's smile grew, she remembered the big hug he had given her all too well. "Yes. You talked about your new class all night. I was relieved you were so happy at your school. I had been worrying about you all day at work."
"You were?"
"Of course Henry. You had been so upset that morning that it broke my heart to leave you there."
Emma smiled softly as Regina met her eyes. The blonde wished she could have been there for those big moments in Henry's life.
Henry grinned at the memory, opening his eyes. "Can you tell me about that time there was a big snow storm that one winter? That time there was that big power outage?"
"Henry you've heard about that so many times," Regina responded gently, continuing to brush her fingers through his hair. "There's not much more to tell."
"I know..." Henry said, his voice rising hopefully. "But I want to hear about it again."
"You're not bored of it by now?"
Henry shook his head.
Regina sighed softly, there was a smile on her face but Emma could tell the woman was exhausted.
"Henry are you keeping your mom from getting her sleep?" Emma scolded teasingly as she ruffled his hair.
Henry shrugged apologetically, looking up at his adoptive mother. "Mom's telling me stories about us from when I was kid. I forget a lot of it now but I want to be able to remember."
Regina smiled, caressing the side of his cheek softly.
"Well hey, why don't you go pack for a bit? Regina can tell you all about the storm later on. For now you should let her get some rest."
Regina felt Henry look up at her, but she held Emma's gaze for a few moments before silently nodding her agreement.
She reluctantly withdrew her arms from around her son. "Emma's right Henry, we have to be ready to leave tonight. It's better to pack now and be prepared rather than to end up rushing later on."
"Okay..." Henry said, although he made no effort to leave her embrace.
Emma frowned as she saw the forlorn expression on her son's face. Regina hadn't seemed to want him to go either, so maybe a little more reminiscing couldn't hurt.
"So... why particularly this story?" Emma asked, instantly lightening the mood a little.
Regina's gentle smile returned at the memory. She wrapped her arms around Henry once more, and he relaxed into her embrace again, grateful for the extra minute or so.
"It was years ago." Regina responded. "But like I said, there's really not much to tell. It was the middle of February and we were hit by a terrible storm which caused the power to go out for days. Henry was afraid of the storm, he believed ice monsters were coming to get us." She chuckled softly, rubbing his back lovingly as he grinned in spite of himself. "He was still so young... so small. We spent most of the blackout curled up by the fire didn't we?" Regina smiled down at her son.
He nodded silently, closing his eyes again as he remembered.
"Either by the fire or snuggled up in here together," Regina continued, gently rubbing the blankets in nostalgia. "It was a very lazy few days, but they were perfect. It was an excuse to simply do nothing and spend some quality time together. I suppose I could have done some work from home but I didn't do any at all. The whole time it was just me and Henry. Together."
"That sounds nice," Emma said, gazing down at Henry as she wondered what that would be like.
Regina's lips pressed together as a few tears filled her eyes. "It was." She whispered, holding onto her son a little more tightly.
The three were silent for a while. Regina was on the verge of crying, and while Henry had faith that his mother would make it safely to Boston that evening, it pained him to know that she was afraid. As a result he was a little teary-eyed as well.
Emma knew not to ask Henry to leave the room again. She didn't want him to leave Regina either, she had only made the suggestion because she had thought the brunette might need a break. After a minute or so however, it turned out that Emma had been correct.
Regina cleared her throat, bringing everyone out of their own thoughts. "Now why don't you go get that packing done Henry?" She asked softly. "I should probably gather some things together too."
"Okay..." Henry responded, half-heartedly pulling himself from his mother's arms.
"Bring enough for at least a week." Emma added. "We can always do laundry but a week should be a good amount."
"Okay."
Regina pressed a kiss to the top of her son's head before Henry got out of bed.
"Where are the suitcases?" He asked.
"Oh, right," Regina pressed her hand to her forehead as she tried to remember where she had put them. "I believe I left yours in the room at the end of the hallway."
"Okay. Should I pack a big suitcase or a little one?"
"Whichever one you need," Emma responded. "Take a big one if you want, we don't know when we're coming back here."
Regina nervously ran a hand through her hair at Emma's words, and the look in her eyes did not escape the Sheriff. Regina had never been outside of Storybrooke overnight before, let alone embarking on a trip that had no foreseen return date. Emma could see that it was a bit daunting for the unwell brunette.
There was a sad look in Regina's eyes as she silently watched Henry exit the room.
"Sorry if I was wrong to ask him to leave." Emma said softly to her. "It just seemed like you might need a bit of a breather."
"It's fine Emma." Regina assured her gently.
"I can pack some stuff up for you if you want to try to get some sleep? You should be able to wear some of your own things at the hospital so just let me know what clothes and toiletries you want."
Regina pressed the side of her hand to her mouth as she thought. "I don't really feel like sleeping." She softly answered Emma's first question.
"Really?" Emma asked in surprise. "That's new."
Regina definitely looked like she needed the rest.
The brunette nodded softly. "I just don't want to miss any time with Henry." She explained.
"Oh..." Emma nodded, not quite sure how to respond to that. "Well, I do get that, but straining yourself isn't going to do you any favors. You're going to be fine tonight, I promise. Get some sleep."
"I can try to sleep in the car."
Emma nodded thoughtfully again, looking off to the side. She didn't want to argue with Regina, but neither did she want the brunette to do herself harm by depriving herself of rest.
"Emma?" A soft voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Yeah?"
"Would you...?" Regina began, before falling silent again, seemingly having changed her mind.
"Would I what, Regina?" Emma asked softly.
Regina breathed a soft sigh as her gaze drifted to her lap, the gesture seemed to say she was ashamed of whatever she wanted to ask.
"Regina you can ask me anything." She reminded her.
"Never mind, it's fine."
"No," Emma replied gently. "What did you want to ask me?"
Regina looked up at her again and saw the sincerity in her eyes.
She took a deep breath. "I was wondering... could you rub my legs for a few minutes? It's just, they're starting to hurt quite badly."
"Oh... yeah. Yeah of course." Emma replied, a little confused as to why Regina would be afraid to ask.
Regina gave a soft smile, "are you sure it's no bother?"
"Of course not Regina. I meant it when I offered earlier. Seriously, if there's anything I can do to help ease your pain, please don't hesitate to ask."
Regina gazed at her for a few moments. "Thank you."
Emma smiled at her as Regina slowly pulled herself into a sitting position.
"I'll just move these back." Regina said, indicating the covers.
"You won't be too cold?"
Regina gave a tiny shrug.
"Okay..." Emma stood up to help fold the blankets over.
Regina sat up a little straighter and then carefully drew one of her legs up to her chest, running her hands over it delicately through the leg of her pajama pants.
"Just tell me where it hurts, I'll do my best." Emma said.
Regina nodded, still gently touching her leg. "It's mostly in these areas." She said, showing Emma.
"Okay, I'll see what I can do."
Regina gave a small, appreciatory smile before lying back down again and resting her sore leg flat on the bed.
Emma found a comfortable position and then delicately brought Regina's legs onto her lap. When Regina had adjusted herself to the new position, she closed her eyes.
"Let me know if I'm hurting you." Emma said as she began.
Regina nodded, not offering a verbal response. After a few minutes Emma realized the brunette was crying. It was only a single tear every once in a while, but it was still worrying.
"What's wrong? Is it not helping?"
The brunette didn't respond.
"Regina?"
"I just feel bad asking you to do this." Regina said in a hushed voice.
"Why?"
Regina shook her head softly, not responding.
"Regina I swear it's fine. I just want to help."
As Emma continued to massage Regina's leg, she could feel the brunette begin to relax, but she could still see the tears in her eyes.
"Regina if you feel bad because you think you're treating me like a slave or something, don't. I'm the one who offered to do this." Emma said in a teasing tone.
Regina opened her eyes. "I just think maybe it's time you got some sleep Emma."
"Am I seriously doing that crappy a job?"
Regina gave a small smile. "No, but you've barely had any rest these past few days. And then with that overnight drive to the city coming up..." Regina shook her head. "I'm worried about you Emma. I'm not the only one who needs rest around here."
Emma waved her hand dismissively. "I'll sleep in Boston. I'm fine Regina I swear. I'll try to get some sleep later on, but when it's time to go I'll just pack in some caffeine and I'll be good to go."
"All that coffee isn't healthy for you."
"I'll cut back in Boston." Emma said.
Regina gave her a look, "I'll believe that when I see it."
"I will," Emma insisted with a smile. "I'll be able to get back to a proper sleep schedule since whatever chaos goes on in that city at night isn't my problem, not like it is here."
"Mmm," Regina agreed, closing her eyes again.
Emma watched her for a few moments, trying to decipher if the brunette's pain was getting any better.
"Is this helping at all?" Emma asked, indicating Regina's leg.
"Yes, thank you for doing this." Regina responded softly.
"Well, what are friends for?"
Regina closed her eyes, appreciating the relief she was feeling in her limbs. "I suppose once I'm feeling better I'll be owing you quite a few backrubs after all this?" She peeked an eye open.
Emma breathed a laugh. "You don't owe me anything Regina." She responded softly. "Just get better, that's all I ask."
Regina blinked her eyes open again, holding Emma's gaze for a few moments before offering a tearful, but gracious smile and closing her eyes again. She hadn't believed anyone could be as genuinely kind to her as Emma had been these past few months. Emma had her bad moments of course, but she always made up for them. Regina just wished she was at least half the friend to Emma that Emma was to her.
7:50 PM
It was getting darker outside; Henry had returned from packing his suitcase, and Emma had quickly thrown her own together and had started but not finished Regina's.
Emma had massaged the brunette's legs for about half-an-hour. Her arms had gotten a little tired but she hadn't stopped until Regina suggested she should. Emma had helped make her legs feel better while she was rubbing them, but they still remained a little stiff afterwards. To release the rest of the tension Regina had decided to take a warm bath, and together the two actions had worked wonders to relieve the discomfort.
After the bath, even once she'd been in bed for a while Regina had still been shivering quite a bit since leaving the water. Because Regina's headache was still bothering her as well, Emma had ended up under the covers with Regina just like she had been after the brunette's frightening episode in the early hours of that morning.
Regina was currently resting against Emma's chest as the blonde massaged her head, while Henry was curled up on the other side of the bed watching them.
"What time is it?" Regina asked quietly.
"Almost eight. Why? Are you getting restless?" Emma softly asked with a smile as she pushed Regina's hair back.
"I just want to be there already." Regina whispered, turning further into Emma's warm embrace.
"Yeah, me too."
"I would love it if we could just stay here..." Regina breathed sleepily.
"You're contradicting yourself."
Regina blinked her eyes open tiredly."It's comfortable here at home. And I just wish we didn't have that long drive ahead of us." She explained.
"You saying my car is uncomfortable?" Emma said lightly, pretending to be offended.
Regina made a small noise in agreement. "I think today it will be."
She closed her eyes again as she reached for the edge of the duvet. She felt Emma's hand gently pass over hers before the blanket was pulled up to her shoulders. Emma's arm wrapped around Regina over the blankets in an embrace that made the brunette feel snug and safe.
"I know... I wish we didn't have to go either." Emma agreed, gently caressing Regina's temple with the back of her hand.
She herself had really started to feel at home here at Regina's house, and she could tell that the idea of leaving the safety of it was filling the brunette with anxiety.
"But it'll be worth it when we can finally get you some real medical care." Emma finished.
Regina gave a soft smile.
"Only six more hours, then we'll be on our way. Don't worry, the drive should be pretty smooth and by the time we'll be nearing the city there'll hardly be anyone on the roads. We'll be arriving just before rush hour so if we time it right we'll get into the city quickly before the traffic picks up."
Regina breathed a heavy sigh, not opening her eyes.
Just then they heard Emma's phone vibrate.
"Hold on, sorry," Emma said as she reached over Regina towards the table. Because of the way she was holding the brunette, Regina was lifted slightly as Emma grabbed for the phone.
"Sorry," Emma repeated as the brunette silently settled back down again and pulled the blankets up to her chin.
Emma checked the notification.
"Its David; he and Mary Margaret are downstairs."
"I'll go let them in." Henry mumbled, slowly pulling himself out of bed.
"You don't have to kid, I can go if you want to stay here with your mom."
Henry looked down at his adoptive mother who was nestled warmly in his birthmother's arms. She looked so comfortable, and he knew her head was hurting, so he didn't want Emma to leave her.
"It's okay, I don't mind." He responded.
"Okay, thanks Henry." Emma smiled. She rubbed Regina's arm softly as she felt the brunette shift into a more comfortable position before her gaze lingered on her son.
Henry left the room and Emma looked down to check on Regina again.
"Are you warm enough?"
She felt Regina nod delicately against her chest.
"Is your headache getting any better?"
"A little." Regina responded softly. "You can stop now if your hands are getting tired, I don't mind."
"Don't worry about me Regina, I'm fine." Emma insisted, massaging small circles on the brunette's still slightly-too-warm temple. "Do you want to turn around again so I can do the other side?"
Regina breathed a soft sigh, nodding in agreement. After a moment or so she began to turn over in Emma's arms. Emma needed to adjust her own position a little too, but they quickly found a comfortable position.
Emma brushed back Regina's hair where it had been pressed to her temple from leaning against the blonde, and then she began to massage Regina's head again.
"Thank you Emma," Regina whispered. "For spending so much time doing this for me. It seems like you've been giving up your entire days for me. It's too much."
"It's not too much for me Regina. What am I supposed to do? Just let you lie here in pain? The least I can do is to take away as much of it as possible."
Emma smiled softly when she felt Regina's hand delicately squeeze her arm in appreciation. She heard a small sniffle come from the brunette, and then felt her curl a little more fully into Emma.
"Not much longer now Regina." She said softly. "This time tomorrow you'll be in Boston. This time tomorrow, the pain will be over."
Regina subtly turned her head to the side, closing her eyes to blink back a few tears. "Yes it will..." She whispered, trying to convince herself.
Emma's eyes narrowed sadly as she looked down at the brunette. She could see that Regina still believed there was a chance she might not make it through the rest of the night.
"Don't worry," Emma said, brushing her hand comfortingly through Regina's hair. "You're going to be fine."
Henry reappeared then, closely followed by his grandparents. The ten-year-old climbed onto the bed next to his two mothers. He leaned against the cushioned headboard and reached for Regina's hand.
"Hey," Emma greeted her parents. "How's it going in town?"
"A little better I think." David responded.
"We came to see how the patient was doing." Mary Margaret smiled warmly at her stepmother.
"How are you feeling Regina?" David asked.
Regina glanced up at them but didn't respond for a few moments.
Emma gave them a small smile, but she gave Regina some more time before answering for her.
Regina swallowed back her emotions, blinking back the remaining tears in her eyes before raising her head again.
"Much better than I was this afternoon." She responded in a quiet voice. She offered a small smile in appreciation of their concern before her kind eyes met Henry's again.
"I'm glad to hear it." Snow replied, sitting down in front of Henry.
"I thought while I'm up here I'd sign those forms for you now Regina," David offered. "Just so it's done and off your mind."
"Oh, thank you..." Regina said, slowly beginning to remove herself from Emma's arms.
"No, don't get up," David insisted. "If you tell me where they are I can get them for you."
Regina nodded softly in thanks.
"Are they in here?" Mary Margaret indicated the bedside table where Regina had kept them earlier.
"Yes," Regina responded, closing her eyes again as she felt Emma's hands resume tending to her mildly throbbing head.
"Still got that headache huh?" David asked the Queen, watching his daughter caring so compassionately for his family's former enemy.
Regina made a soft noise in agreement, not opening her eyes. She heard the sound of paper rustling as Mary Margaret handed the forms to David, followed by the click of a pen.
"What are they?" Henry's voice asked.
Regina blinked her eyes open at that, and saw her son leaning towards his grandparents curiously.
Mary Margaret glanced at her stepmother, unsure of how to respond.
"They're just some forms for when your mom gets to the hospital." Emma responded.
"Why does David need to sign them?"
"Well, because they're legal forms we need two witnesses so if the hospital needs to, they can confirm with David and Mary Margaret that Regina did actually sign them. It's just so the hospital knows that your mom's signature wasn't forged."
"Why couldn't you do it?" Henry asked, trying to get a closer look. "What are they for?"
Emma felt Regina squeeze her arm. Regina didn't want Henry to know about the Will. She didn't want it to frighten him.
Regina cleared her throat. "Sweetheart it's a document that tells the doctors they are to listen to Emma regarding decisions about my health care."
"What? Why can't they just ask you?"
"They will. But if the doctors can't talk to me, for example if I'm ever asleep and a decision needs to be made quickly, the doctors are to consult Emma before making any big decisions. It's called being my agent." Regina explained tiredly.
"Oh..."
"And the way the form works is that I need two other people who are aware of my decision to say they witnessed me confirming what's stated in this document. It's to prove that Emma's not lying about it. Emma would be able to sign it if I had asked someone else to be my agent."
"Yeah," Emma agreed. "Say Regina wanted the doctors to consult Mary Margaret in a crisis, David and I could sign the forms confirming that Regina wanted them to ask her."
"I thought the doctors made the decisions?" Henry's brow furrowed.
"Sometimes the doctors have multiple options, and in those cases the patient is allowed to choose which they would prefer."
"All of those papers are just for that?" Henry asked, eyeing the folder full of paper.
"Legal documents are long like that." Emma said quickly, saving Regina from having to lie to him about the other two documents.
Regina closed her eyes briefly. "Come here Henry," she said gently, reaching out an arm for him. "Come sit with me."
Henry looked away from David who was beginning to sign the first sheet of paper, and reached for his mother's hand again. She guided Henry gently back to her, and he nestled down beside her as she wrapped an arm around him.
"Don't worry Henry, everything is taken care of." She said softly, closing her eyes as she held him closely. "Everything is going to be fine."
Regina felt herself relax a little as she felt her son's arm wrap around her waist.
"How much longer until we leave?"
Regina blinked her eyes open, and was met with his worried expression.
"About five-and-a-half more hours." Emma responded. "But we may be able to leave a little earlier depending on how things are in town. We'll–"
Emma was cut off by the sound of her phone ringing.
"Sorry, hang on a sec." Emma reached for her phone,
Regina shared a look with David and Mary Margaret as Emma answered the call.
"Sheriff Swan," Emma greeted.
Everyone in the room was silent as she listened to the person on the other end.
"Okay–"
...
"Okay slow down, do you know who took it?"
...
Regina's eyes grew concerned as she realized the woman on the other end of the line was yelling.
"Mom?" Henry asked quietly.
"Shh..." Regina responded, rubbing his back softly as she tried to listen.
"Okay... well–" Emma tried to continue but was cut off by the stranger.
...
"Okay."
...
"Are you absolutely sure she was in the–?"
Emma winced as the person on the other end started to scream at her.
"Okay! I know it's hard but please try to stay calm. I'm pretty busy looking after Mayor Mills right now, but why don't I send someone down to–"
...
Emma sighed heavily. "Fine. Stay put, I'll be right down." She somewhat grumbled before hanging up.
"Who was that?" Mary Margaret asked.
"Some lady in town. She said her car was stolen."
"Emma you can't leave now!" Henry argued quickly. "We need to stay with my Mom. Who cares about the stupid car!"
"Henry," Regina softly scolded, despite the disappointed tug she felt in her heart at knowing Emma might be leaving. "Emma it's just a car, I'm sure this woman will survive. You need your rest for later, it's going to be a long night. You should just try to get some sleep."
"I'm sorry," Emma said softly. "But this lady said her daughter was asleep in the backseat. The kid's only four years old. I have to help look for her."
"I can go." David offered. "Regina and Henry are right, you should stay here. I don't mind helping this woman."
"She doesn't want anyone else..." Emma mumbled. "She's scared. Someone has to help her."
"But Mom is scared. You can't leave her now," Henry begged.
Regina closed her eyes briefly, bowing her head a little against Emma as she realized that everyone in the room knew.
"I'm sorry Regina." Emma practically whispered. "I swear it's the last thing I want to do but this woman is terrified. If there wasn't a child involved–" Emma shook her head. "But... I suppose if I just send someone else it's not like she'll decline their help. If you don't want me to leave Regina, I'll stay. If this had happened tomorrow this lady would have to deal without me anyway."
"It's okay Emma. Go." Regina said softly, looking up at her. "We'll be fine here."
"Are you sure? Because if you really want me to stay I swear I will."
"It's fine Emma, I'll be okay. We still have hours until we have to leave anyway."
"We'll look after Regina." Mary Margaret assured Emma and Henry, earning a small smile from her stepmother.
"Are you sure you're okay with me leaving?" Emma asked Regina softly, already regretting ever saying she would go. "I can still ask someone else."
"She asked for you Emma. It's her child's life on the line, the poor woman is probably out of her mind with grief." Regina reminded her. "You should go."
Emma didn't seem sure what to do.
"But..." Regina swallowed back her emotions. "Do try to be quick, like I said you need to get your rest for tonight."
"I'll at least go see what happened I guess." Emma said after a few moments of deliberation. "I'll talk to her, calm her down a bit, and then once she's recovered from her hysterics I'll send someone else to find her car and her kid."
"I can go with you." David said, "Then when you're done talking to her I can stay and help her."
"No, why don't you stay here with Regina and Henry. I'll come right back and then let you know what's happened. I'll feel better knowing you're both here," Emma said to her parents.
She looked down at Regina again, who was nodding softly in agreement, not looking at anyone. It would be more efficient to have David and Emma both leave together, but she knew she would feel more comfortable if both David and Mary Margaret stayed with herself and Henry.
"I'm sorry Regina," Emma said again.
"I'm an adult Emma, I don't need you to hold my hand every second of the day." Regina replied with a soft smile. "Besides, you won't be gone long. I'll be fine."
8:10 PM
"But why do you have to go Emma? Can't David do it?" Henry asked. "He said he would."
Emma was sitting on the bed in front of Regina and Henry. Regina was sitting up now, and Henry was seated about a foot away from her. Emma was perched on the side of the bed in front of them, her hand was clasped comfortingly in Regina's.
"David's done his fair share today, he deserves a break." Emma responded to Henry's question. "Besides, the lady specifically asked for me."
"But what about what Mom said earlier? You need to sleep since you're going to be driving all night."
"I won't be gone long I promise." Emma unintentionally let her voice break. "If you need anything David and Mary Margaret will both be here."
"Okay..."
Emma blinked back a few tears, she felt badly for leaving Regina at such a time, and she hated that she was upsetting her son again but she couldn't just leave this other family stranded.
Why did this mother have to go and get her car stolen tonight of all nights? Emma thought bitterly to herself. She looked over at her son again. She knew she couldn't just leave the woman to deal with everything on her own. Emma couldn't imagine what she must be going through, worrying about her child.
Emma took in a deep breath, trying to gather the courage to leave.
"Take good care of your mom while I'm gone, okay Henry?"
Regina's head turned to look at the ten-year-old sitting on the bed beside her. He nodded.
"Thanks kid. I'll see you both soon." Emma's soft voice said.
By the time Regina turned to look at the blonde again, she could see her retreating form just approaching the door.
When Emma reached the hallway she paused, holding onto the doorframe with one hand. She turned around to look at Regina and Henry again, and felt her heart warm when her eyes fell on the two of them.
Henry was still looking at his adoptive mother; he was clearly trying to hold back his tears. Emma saw him move closer to Regina and burrow delicately into her side.
Still looking at Emma, the brunette had a pained look in her eyes as she silently wrapped a comforting arm around her son. The Sheriff could see that there were tears in Regina's eyes as well, but was comforted by the fact that when her own gaze had met the Queen's, it had put a soft smile on her face.
Emma gave a small smile in response to Regina's, before tearing her gaze from wounded brown eyes and quietly leaving the room.
xXxXxXxXx
A/N: Thank you for reading, please review xx