A/N: Hello everyone, this one is not a big chapter but I thought I would give you a little taste until I can update again. Also I needed a distraction from coursework.
In case anyone is curious I named Dr. Montgomery after the author of Anne of Green Gables. I wanted her to remind Regina of her mother but in a good way, and I wanted Regina to feel comforted and safe when she was around. Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning is one of my favourite Barbara Hershey movies and I've loved the original movies since I was a kid. When writing Montgomery I imagined her as looking and sounding similar to Barbara. Thank you for reading, I would love a review to keep me going. Take care xx
Emma's heart was still aching as she gazed down at Regina and comforted Henry. What if it was true, what if Regina did wake up and her mind truly had been affected? She had been speaking of a place she had not seen in years, what if Regina didn't remember Storybrooke or Henry or Emma herself? Emma didn't think she could bear it. She also didn't want to have to witness the hospital treating Regina as if she had gone mad once they heard her talk about magic and queens and castles. Treating her for the wrong brain condition was not going to help her recover quickly.
"As I mentioned earlier Regina was asking for her mother." Doctor Montgomery's voice interrupted Emma's thoughts. "Are she or both of Regina's parents still in her life? If so it would be very comforting for her to have them close during this difficult time."
Emma shook her head, blinking back tears as she rubbed Henry's back consolingly. She could feel him shaking as he cried. "Regina's mom died years ago... I think her dad died shortly after that."
Montgomery nodded, giving a soft, sad smile. "That happens a lot with spouses, we often equate it to dying of a broken heart."
Emma felt Henry hold onto her a little tighter at that.
"Yeah..." Was all Emma could say in response. She didn't think it necessary to mention that Regina had been responsible for both of her parents' deaths, or that Cora and Henry Sr. had never truly been in love with each other in the first place.
"I'm glad she has the two of you here for her." Montgomery went on. "I can see you both care for her very much and your support will be very important for Regina in the days ahead."
"Do you think my mom has memory loss?" Henry's nervous voice cut in from Emma's arms. "Because she thought her mom was there with her? Does that mean she forgot that her mom died?"
"Your mother was a little delirious yes... but there is no reason to assume she's lost time. It's actually a relatively common phenomenon... patients asking for loved ones who have since passed. Your mother was a little confused when she was looking for your grandmother but there could have been many reasons for that. It also seemed to me that she believed her mother was physically there with her; seeing someone who is not there is much different than asking for someone who is no longer with us. As I said earlier the explanation could be as simple as a dream. We were after all, trying to force her to wake up at the time. We'll know more in the morning once she's conscious."
Henry sniffled. "Do you think she'll remember me?"
The doctor touched his shoulder gently, "I certainly hope she will." She responded softly before looking at the time.
Emma checked too, 4:00 AM was quickly creeping closer and she knew what the doctor was thinking: they all could use some rest.
"I am going to head out now but I am planning to be back in the early afternoon tomorrow to see how Regina is doing." Montgomery said. "If she is awake by then, I will give her some time to get settled before I send someone to do a quick evaluation. It won't be anything to strenuous for her, just some questions to determine her mental state."
"If she's awake?" Emma asked with a frown.
Montgomery nodded. "She's been through a lot, she's going to need her rest and so we shouldn't be too alarmed if she needs a few extra hours of sleep. I am going to remain positive that she'll pull through this, Regina seems very strong to me." She said softly.
"She's the strongest person I know..." Emma agreed, gazing at Regina's sleeping form.
Montgomery's eyes softened at that, her gaze drifted back to Regina too. "I'll have the nurses give you a quick run through of the ICU. They can show you where you can get some rest if you need to sleep, I know you must be exhausted. Usually we have a recliner in all of the ICU rooms but the one in here has been moved to another patient's room for the night. I'm very sorry, but we can have it cleaned and brought back tomorrow."
"Won't the other patient's family still need it?"
"They already have one. They were aware that the second chair was only temporary."
Emma bit her lip, she didn't want to take the chair from whoever was already using it in order to sleep close to their loved one, but Emma wanted it for the same reason and like the doctor said, she had first dibs on it.
"Thank you, I really appreciate it." Emma responded.
"Can I sit on the bed next to my mom? Henry asked, finally withdrawing his arms from around Emma.
"I wouldn't recommend it, just in case Regina wakes up and is confused I don't want either of you to get hurt." The doctor said to him softly. She frowned when she saw the look on his face and the soft tremble of his lip as his eyes filled with tears.
"Okay..." He responded quietly.
Montgomery could tell he was trying to be strong but she could also see how upset he was. She looked up at Emma, "but if your mom says it's okay than I won't stop you. Just please be very very careful."
Henry looked up at Emma too, nodding in agreement. He didn't need a verbal response from Emma to know what her answer would be.
"Try to keep minimal contact okay?" The doctor continued. "And if you do choose to stay beside her, please keep to the side opposite from this machine so there will be no tugging on the wires." Montgomery lightly touched the haemodialysis machine.
"Okay." Henry agreed.
"Have a good night you two, I know this all must be so overwhelming but I promise Regina is in the very best hands here."
"I know she is," Emma replied softly, gazing at Regina again. "Thank you so much for staying here tonight, I know you weren't supposed to work this late but..." Emma sighed, "it really means a lot. It was the hardest thing, to watch her deteriorating but never be able to get her to a hospital. She just kept getting sicker and there was nothing I could do. I can't tell you how scary it was."
"I can imagine." Montgomery said gently. "It's always difficult when someone we love is suffering. And it was my pleasure, I really do hope we'll be able to help her. Goodnight."
"Goodnight," Emma responded, reluctantly watching the other woman leave. There were so many more questions she wanted to ask her, but she supposed they could all wait until tomorrow. She couldn't believe how lucky they had been tonight. First with getting immediately admitted despite the overflow in the ER, and then with Montgomery having stayed late simply by coincidence... tonight had been a mess but things were at least beginning to look brighter.
Henry and Emma stayed with Regina for about half an hour after Montgomery had left, but then Emma found she couldn't go on without a proper sleep any longer. She had been falling asleep in her chair, and after having nearly fallen out of it she asked if she could take a nap in the family waiting room, which the nurses had shown her earlier. Emma would have been fine with some sheets and the couch that was already in there, but she was even more grateful when they rolled in a small guest bed for her with fresh sheets and a comfortable pillow. She had passed out almost as soon as she had closed her eyes.
Henry did not experience the same. The room was just outside of the ICU, and Henry hadn't liked the way the main doors to the ward sealed them out. He kept worrying that if they stayed out too long, that when they tried to go back into the ICU no one would buzz them back in when they pressed the page button beside the double doors.
After having lasted only fifteen restless minutes in the waiting room with a deeply sleeping Emma, Henry nervously made his way back to the intimidating mechanical doors. He felt chilly, and he didn't like being in the silent and empty hospital hallways alone at night. He wished he had never left the safety of Regina's side in the first place. Henry reached up to press the intercom button and waited for a reply. After a few heart-thumping moments he received a response.
"Um... hi." He said in a small voice, trying to remember what information the nurses had said they needed to allow for entry. "I'm Henry... I was just in there with my mom... her name is Regina... I was wondering if I can come back in?"
"Is Emma with you Henry?" The kind voice responded.
"No she's asleep, but I will be okay by myself. I won't bother anyone and I'll be careful around my mom. I'll just sit there I promise. I just want to be with my mom."
"I understand. " The nurse's voice responded. "Don't forget to clean your hands before coming in okay?"
Henry nodded, forgetting that she couldn't see him. His eyes searched for the sanitizer pump on the wall that Montgomery had gotten them to use earlier. He was still massaging the sanitizer into his palms when the double doors opened for him.
He hurried in quickly, not trusting that they would not close on him if he was too slow.
"You can go right on in Henry." One of the nurses said to him from their station. "Let us know if you need anything."
He gave them a small smile and went directly back into his mother's room. He went to his recently vacated seat on the bed beside her and watched over her. She was surrounded by machines and wires, there were tubes sticking out of her, there was a breathing mask over her face... she was wearing something so unsuited for her that Henry was sure she would throw a fit when she saw it, and finally, there were the screens that told him more or less what was going on inside her. His eyes washed over the numbers, he had no idea what they meant but all that really mattered to him was that they told him she was alive.
He looked down at his mother again. "I'm sorry Mom." He said in a quiet, broken voice. "I thought I was helping."
He watched her slow, steady breathing, listened to the calming, steady beep that indicated that her heart was beating... he wanted more than anything to curl up in her comforting embrace but he knew that would likely get him moved to the chair by the wall if a nurse caught him. As tears filled his eyes he thought back to earlier that day, back when they had still been at home. It felt like a lifetime ago. Regina had rested with him in her arms for as long as she could handle, but ultimately his weight pressing down against her injuries had been too painful for her. Now instead he lay down in the free space between Regina and the railing on the side of the bed. The bed seemed so big and she seemed so small that Henry had no problem fitting in. Her arms were lying straight on either side of her which made things a little more difficult for him, but he found that if he kept to the lower part of the bed he was less intrusive. His heart was aching, he was so close to her but he didn't feel close enough. He wanted to hug her, and he wanted her to hug him too. He would have considered trying to sneak under her arm to at least pretend she was holding him, but her arm was under the blanket and he didn't want to lower it and have her be cold.
Not too long afterward he heard a soft voice from beside him. "Henry?"
A still crying Henry quickly looked up to see a nurse standing on the other side of the bed.
"I thought you might need this." She whispered, holding up a blanket. "Would you like it?"
Henry sniffled, nodding. He didn't make a move to sit up though. The nurse came around the bed and placed the blanket over him; it was as warm as if it had just come out of the dryer. He hadn't been expecting it but it was a welcome surprise. He had been so cold up until then, he wanted to thank her but he couldn't seem to find his voice.
He just pulled the warm blanket more closely around himself and watched his mother sleep. She had been having such difficulty sleeping lately that it was nice to see her getting close to a full night's rest. He still wanted to snuggle up next to her but he really did not want to have to leave her side if the nurses asked him to move. Instead he focused on the warm blanket and imagined her arms around him.