Emma woke up in the driver's seat of the car where they were still parked at the gas station. She took in a deep, sleepy breath as she wondered how long she had been out for. She still felt quite tired, but she could already tell that now at least she would be able to drive without fear of putting everyone's lives at risk. She checked the time on her phone, she had been asleep for about twenty minutes. That was good enough, she decided.
Despite how tempting it was to just go back to sleep, she forced herself to sit up straighter because she knew they had to get back on the road. Now that she was waking up, she noticed something about the woman beside her. Emma realized that Regina's deep breathing wasn't due to her being asleep, it was far too uneven and shaky for that.
"Regina?" Emma sleepily asked in concern, placing a hand on the other woman's arm.
Regina jumped a little at her touch, before brown eyes raised to meet hers.
"Hey, sorry it's just me." Emma said gently. "Are you okay? You don't sound too good."
Regina nodded, placing a hand on her chest. "I'm fine." She said, although Emma could see the tiny hints of fear in Regina's expression as the woman struggled for air.
"No, you're not. Are you having trouble breathing?" Emma asked in alarm, suddenly no longer feeling the least bit tired.
Regina closed her eyes briefly, looking away as Emma's observations confirmed her own fears. "Maybe." She whispered. "I think so."
"There's nothing to think about, you are! Why didn't you wake me?" Emma asked, frustrated as she undid her seatbelt to lean over Regina and roll down the passenger's window.
"You needed to rest. And besides what can you do about it? I'm sure it will pass."
"What caused it?" Emma asked as she rolled down her own window, allowing the strangely comforting smell of gasoline to flow more strongly into the car.
"I don't know... I could feel it coming on earlier but I thought I just needed to catch my breath."
"How long ago is earlier?" Emma asked.
Regina closed her eyes briefly, shaking her head without an answer.
Emma's expression softened. "What do you need me to do?"
"I don't think there's really anything you can–" Regina began, but Emma was already getting out of the car. Regina sighed tiredly as she glanced into the backseat, still taking deeper than usual breaths as she checked on Henry.
The ten year old was rubbing sleep from his eyes as he dragged himself into a more upright position. "What's going on?" He asked as Emma opened the passenger's door, catching the pillow that fell out before it landed on the ground. "We're not there yet are we?" He questioned before taking in their surroundings.
Emma leaned forward, slipping her hands under the blanket and taking Regina gently by the waist. "Come on, sit up a little straighter." She urged softly. "It might make it easier for the air to get to your lungs."
"Emma I think the attention is only just making it worse." Regina mumbled tiredly, but she held on to Emma as she complied. "It was starting to get better a minute ago."
"Are you sure about that?" Emma quirked her eyebrow doubtfully.
"Mom what's wrong?"
"She can't breathe." Emma responded, sounding a little flustered.
"What?!" Now Henry was panicked.
"I can breathe, don't exaggerate." Regina huffed.
"You can't breathe well." Emma corrected. "Is your coat too tight?" She reached for the buttons of the black wool and cashmere but Regina's hand stopped her as quick as lightning.
"It's fine." She said in a small voice.
Emma froze momentarily at that, backing off a little for a few seconds. "Sorry..." She looked around them as if she would find the solution in the parking lot. "I wonder if there is anything in there that can help?" She thought aloud, eyeing the interior shop of the gas station. "Do you need some water? What about your heart, is it beating too fast?"
"Em–" Regina began, but was cut off when the blonde's fingers found the pulse point on her neck. Regina closed her eyes, giving up.
"You heartbeat is a little fast." Emma announced.
"Well yes of course it is now!" Regina responded in exasperation as her hand raised to take Emma's away from her neck. "You're overreacting and it's making me anxious."
Emma's eyes met the brunette's again. "Regina if you're having trouble breathing that's serious. Do you want to maybe forget about Boston for now and go somewhere closer?" She asked a little more softly.
"Emma..."
"What?" She asked, her eyes searching Regina's. "There is no use going to all the way to Boston if you're only going to end up suffocating on the way there."
"Please just... slow down for a minute okay? I know you mean well but your hovering really isn't doing any good right now." Regina's voice was quivering slightly. She took in a deep breath, she didn't sound angry. "I can wait until Boston... I think I just needed some air, like you said."
"Do you want to go somewhere else? The fumes here might be bothering you. We can find somewhere a bit... fresher?"
"This is the interstate Emma, I don't think we're going to find much green space around these parts. Besides, I don't believe the gasoline has anything to do with this."
Emma stared at her for a few seconds. "Because this started before we got here?"
"I don't know... maybe it did. It's hard to tell, I've been half asleep this entire drive."
Emma lifted her foot onto the edge of the car and leaned forward onto her knee. She took in a deep breath as she gazed up into Regina's eyes. "Are you sure you can do this?" She asked in soft worry.
"Do what?"
Emma glanced into the backseat at Henry. "Wait the three more hours we have until we get to Boston." She said, and Regina didn't fail to miss the hidden fear in Emma's tone.
Regina's eyes saddened at the look she saw in the other woman's eyes. "Yes." She affirmed softly. "I will be okay."
Emma nodded, feeling a little less certain, but forcing herself to trust Regina. "Okay. But let me know the instant you change your mind. I am serious this time Regina, if you feel at any moment that you need to get to a hospital immediately, you let me know right away okay? Don't hold anything back because you're worried about bothering me. This is your life we're talking about."
"I'm aware of that Emma." Regina replied quietly.
Emma studied the other woman hard. Regina was still breathing a little too heavily, but the panic seemed to have drained from her eyes.
"What do you want to do?" Emma asked softly.
"Keep going."
Emma nodded, she touched Regina's arm gently. "We'll add this to the list of things we have to tell your doctors. They'll need to know everything."
Regina gave her a look.
"I know," Emma gave a small smile. "It'll be a long list."
Regina pulled her blanket higher again and Emma took care as she closed the passenger's door. Once she herself was back in the car she gave herself a moment to discreetly study Regina. She hoped the woman was right and the breathing problem would soon pass. It was not like she had been running any marathons today, there was no reason for her to be out of breath.
"Stay sitting up straight if you can okay?" Emma implored, reaching for the car keys. "And try taking stronger breaths. Pretend you are meditating, or you know... actually meditate."
Now it was Regina's turn to nod, although she couldn't promise anything if she fell asleep again. Staying awake the whole trip was a big ask.
"Mom?" A small voice asked from the backseat.
"I'm okay Henry." Regina assured him softly. "Don't worry sweetheart, we'll be there before you know it."
It was over two hours later, and after Emma's quick nap at the gas station so far they had not needed to stop a third time. Emma had hoped they could make the rest of the trip in one stretch, but that was starting to seem less probable. This was because she had begun to notice that Regina was growing restless beside her; the blonde could practically feel the distress radiating off of her. She had been checking on Regina every few minutes, but so far Regina had not complained.
Regina shifted slightly in her seat again, trying to find a more comfortable position. She had been drifting in and out of sleep for the duration of the trip, but now she felt as though she were fated to stay awake for the whole rest of the drive.
"Emma..." Regina mumbled softly, closing her eyes as she forced herself to sit still. Her frequent movements were only making things worse, she was realizing.
The blonde didn't seem to have heard her. Regina peeked an eye open and saw that Emma's focus remained on the road in front of her.
"Emma," she tried again.
Emma suppressed a yawn with her hand, but still didn't respond.
Regina gave a quiet, annoyed sigh as she closed her eyes again.
"Emma!" Henry's voice said from the backseat.
"What's up?" Emma asked.
"I think Mom wants you."
Emma quickly turned to Regina, and found the brunette staring expectantly back at her. "Oh my god I'm sorry, I didn't hear you. How are you doing?" She asked softly, despite already knowing that Regina was having a hard time.
Regina closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath before willing herself to look at Emma again. "Everything hurts." She responded in a quivering whisper.
Emma's eyes saddened, she had to force herself to look away from Regina to keep her eyes on the road. "Not much longer Regina." She assured the woman softly. "Is your breathing still okay?"
Regina gave a silent nod. The car hit a tiny bump and she closed her eyes tightly, wincing. "Emma do you have any Tylenol?"
Emma's brow furrowed as she glanced at Regina. She could see the desperation in the brunette's eyes.
"Is the pain getting really bad?"
Regina gave a very quiet affirmation.
Emma felt her stomach twist into knots. "Regina I don't know if it's a good idea to give you anything right now. We're less than an hour away; can you wait?"
"I don't think so." Came the tortured, whispered response.
"Regina..."
"If I thought I could wait I wouldn't be asking."
Emma raised an eyebrow, giving a half shrug. She couldn't argue with that.
"It would be fine if I could just sleep..."
Emma sighed. "I don't know Regina..."
"Please Emma."
Emma thought about it for a few moments, highlighting in her mind the possible consequences of giving Regina even the more gentler painkiller of acetaminophen. "Do you need to go to a closer hospital?" She suggested instead. "I can look one up–"
"I don't want to go to a different hospital."
Emma bit her lip as she allowed herself another quick glance at the brunette, whose brown eyes were boring into hers. "They're all going to help you, you know. Whatever place we go to will be able to help with the pain and kick-start your treatment. After that it would just be a matter of transferring you to Boston. Going there in an ambulance would be a hell of a lot better than my car, trust me."
"What if Boston gets too full in the mean time? Or what if they don't let me switch hospitals?" Regina leaned the side of her head into her seat, closing her eyes briefly.
"Regina another hospital isn't going to keep you prisoner." Emma replied with a grin. "They'll let you transfer. If anyone is in need of Mass General's resources it's you, and besides, it's one of the closest hospitals to my apartment. You'll have no problem getting in there, don't worry about that part."
When there was no response, she turned to look at Regina again. The brunette's teary eyes were still on her. Emma couldn't tell in the dark if Regina's face was flushed or not, but a part of her wondered if Regina had spiked another fever. After all, Regina had still been sick with whatever virus she had caught when she had been kidnapped. She claimed that something Whale was giving her had gotten rid of it but Emma was skeptical that it could be cured so fast. The few hours Regina had been out in the forest back in Storybrooke likely had not helped the situation either.
"Do you have any Tylenol Emma?" The brunette repeated, clutching her own leather seat so strongly that her knuckles were white.
"Regina..." Emma sighed through her words. "I really don't want you to be in pain, believe me... but honestly? I'm afraid to give you anything. We don't know what the hell Whale gave to you or how much. We don't know if it's still in your system and if it is, we don't know what could happen if it's mixed with anything else. Regina... we are one hour away."
"An hour is a long time," Regina's broken voice responded. Emma could tell that the woman was beginning to cry. "Please Emma."
"Regina..."
"I saw you put it in your bag. I know you brought it."
"Damn it Regina..." Emma whispered. "I don't want to... you know... accidentally kill you or something. Your poor kidneys... and your liver, they are working hard enough as it is. What if it overdoses your system?"
"It won't. Please Emma. Please."
Emma was torn. She felt her heart go out to the other woman as she held her gaze for as long as she dared while driving. Regina was strong, and she was stubborn, Emma knew she would normally soldier through the pain, and so the fact that she was so insistent... The blonde breathed another heavy sigh.
"We're going to go to a different hospital." Emma decided for them, fumbling around with shaking hands for her phone as she continued to drive. She finally found it and passed it into the backseat for Henry to take. "Kid, can you find one for me?"
"Yeah." Henry's voice sounded raw.
"Just go to maps and search 'hospital', you should be able to find one. Just make sure it's like a general hospital though, not some nursing home or animal hospital you know?"
"Okay."
"I told you Emma, I don't want to go somewhere else." Regina's softer voice broke in.
"They're all good hospitals Regina, you'll be okay alright? Trust me."
Regina sniffled.
"Regina?"
"Can you stop the car?" Regina asked.
"We're on the highway..."
"I know. I need you to stop." Regina whispered. When Emma remained hesitant she added, "you said we could stop whenever I wanted to, no matter what the reason was. Remember?"
Emma dejectedly tilted her head to the side. She risked another peek at Regina and the look on the other woman's face nearly broke her heart. Just one look, that was all Regina needed to convince Emma to give in to her requests. Emma didn't want to put off getting to the hospital any longer, but she couldn't bring herself to ignore Regina's pleas.
"Alright..." Emma mumbled, signalling to change lanes.
Regina's lips quivered as she closed her eyes in grateful relief.
When Emma had pulled onto the shoulder of the highway and parked the car, she sat there watching Regina for a few moments. It was true, the brunette was looking quite poorly, but Emma didn't want to give her any medication before first knowing whether it would do more harm than good.
"The map says the closest hospital is about twenty five minutes away." Henry announced.
"Is it really that far?" Emma groaned, taking off her seatbelt.
"Yeah."
"Well, it's still closer than Boston I guess. Are there any other hospitals? I swear there is at least one more on the way."
"Emma... it's a half hour difference. Just go straight to Boston." Regina's hushed voice insisted.
"But Regina, you're telling me the pain is unbearable, we can fix that by getting you to a closer hospital." Emma softly tried to reason as she reached for the brunette to comfort her.
"There is a faster way to help me, and it will give us the time we need to get to Boston."
"Regina it's so risky, and in the time it's going to take for the Tylenol to even kick in we could practically be at the closer hospital by then."
"Emma?" Henry broke in as he studied the phone. "It looks like the other hospital is actually behind us... I think it would take a longer to get to then the map says."
"Of course it is." Emma's shoulders practically sagged as she looked back at Regina.
"Massachusetts General is fifty minutes away." Henry observed.
Regina's gaze was weary, but steadfast. With her eyes she continued to silently ask Emma.
"I don't want to hurt you." Emma whispered a little fearfully.
"Then help me." Regina's equally gentle voice begged.
"Emma why can't she have them?" Henry asked, he himself was hurting as he had to watch his mother's torment. "She was okay the last time you gave them to her."
In the light that spilled into the car from outside Emma could see the tears rolling down Regina's cheeks. Emma knew Regina wouldn't want to risk it if she thought she could handle the next hour without the painkillers. Tylenol was easier on the stomach than other drugs, but that didn't necessarily mean it was okay for Regina to take right now. Emma almost wished she had never thought to pack it in the first place.
"Emma," Regina whispered again.
"Henry are you sure there are no other ones?" Emma asked, tempted to take the phone from him to check herself.
"No. The closest ones are almost as far as the one we're going to."
"Okay," Emma finally agreed, despite the growing nervousness she felt. "Henry pass me my bag." She said quietly, her throat growing dry.
Henry picked up the bag and handed it into the front seat. He kept Emma's phone tightly in his hand, averting his eyes from hers. He had lied to Emma, there was a hospital only ten minutes ahead of them but he could see how badly his adoptive mother just wanted to get to Boston. He knew Regina had safely taken the Tylenol before, and so he didn't see why she should have to go somewhere she did not want to go. She had not even wanted to leave Storybrooke in the first place, he thought she should at least be allotted the chance to make this choice herself. Henry knew Emma would notice the hospital signs once they began to drive again, but by that time Regina would have already taken the pills. He couldn't bear to see her in so much pain, and it hurt to see her begging Emma for help. Back in Storybrooke Henry had agreed to let Emma forcibly take Regina from town, and even though that had been avoided, this time he knew Regina needed someone on her side.
Oblivious to Henry's deceit, Emma was rifling through her bag. Once she had the bottle of Tylenol in her hand, she hesitated again, glancing at Regina in hopes that somehow in the last few seconds the woman was miraculously feeling much better.
"When was the last time you ate?" Emma asked.
"Umm," Regina cleared her throat, not wanting to think about such things right now, she couldn't focus through the pain. "Earlier, while you went to see Rumple I think."
"That was at least five or six hours ago… Okay, eat some of this... don't worry it's just a granola bar. Not too much protein." Emma opened the bar and held it out for Regina.
"Emma I don't feel like–"
"Eat this first or I'm not letting you take any pills. The last thing we need is for you to get a stomach ache on top of everything else."
"I suppose you're right." Regina mumbled.
Once Emma had seen Regina eat half the bar, she uncapped the bottle and shook out two pills into her palm, however she was still unwilling to give them to the other woman. They were so close... what if this ruined their chances? Silently, she handed Regina an opened bottle of water and the first pill.
"Thank you." Regina murmured as she took the pill from Emma but not the water bottle. Emma soon realized that Regina didn't trust herself to hold the bottle with how badly her hands were shaking, and so Emma raised the bottle carefully to Regina's lips despite her own slightly shaking hands. Regina took the second pill soon after and then relaxed back into her seat, praying for the medication to kick in quickly. They weren't the strongest of painkillers but she hoped they would at least make the trip that little bit more bearable.
Emma closed the pill bottle and tossed it and the water back into her bag. "I really hope this helps." She said softly.
Regina made a small noise of agreement as she closed her eyes, nodding.
"We can wait here for a few minutes okay? It'll give you a bit of a break from the car's movements."
Regina's lips quivered slightly as she nodded again, her eyes remained closed as she reached out a hand in search of Emma.
"Thank you."
One Hour Later: Massachusetts General Hospital
Regina slowly came to, waking up to a somewhat muted commotion all around her. She felt heavy, her senses were numb and she felt as if she were in a dream. She opened her eyes for the briefest of seconds. There were a few blurry people surrounding her but she couldn't distinguish any faces.
"Ma'am? Ma'am can you hear me?" A voice she did not recognize asked. It was the strangest sensation, she felt as if the ground beneath her was moving. The voices seemed to move along with her, they seemed to be pushing her on something. Had she collapsed somewhere?
"What's her name?" The voice asked.
"Regina."
"Regina can you hear me?"
Regina blinked her eyes open a crack but they quickly fell closed when she realized there was a bothersome light shining directly into them.
"Regina? Can you hear me? If you can, could you please you open your eyes?"
Despite having absolutely no desire to do so, she knew it was probably important.
"We're just going to ask you a few questions okay? Can you tell us your name?"
Regina blinked her eyes weakly, not really looking at the people above her. She was pleased to see that the light was gone. "Re... Regina." She mumbled slowly... She didn't understand the question. They clearly already knew her name.
"Alright Regina do you know where you are?" The urgent but kind enough voice asked.
Regina gave a tired sigh, feeling the delicious lure of sleep trying to draw her back under.
It was so tempting.
"Regina? Can you tell me where we are?"
Regina closed her eyes. "The Ench... Frest." She mumbled.
"I'm sorry Regina I didn't quite catch that. Do you know where you are?"
Regina moaned softly, slowly tossing her head to the side, why was this stranger asking her such trivial questions? She just wanted to sleep.
"Regina?"
"The... Enchanted... Forest." Regina repeated quietly, still with her eyes closed.
The members of hospital staff who were accompanying Regina all looked at each other in concern.
"Did you hear that?" The doctor who had been talking to Regina asked one of the others. He nodded in response.
"Regina can you tell us where you're from? Where do you live?" The doctor tried a different question.
"Enchanted Forest." She slowly whispered again.
"Okay Regina one more question. Do you know who brought you here today?"
Regina didn't respond.
"Regina, do you know who brought you here today?"
"Snow..." Regina breathed.
"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"
"Snow White."
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A/N: Thank you for reading, there will be a bit of flashback to the rest of the car ride in the next chapter. Please review xx