Hello everyone, I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving! Here is a long overdue update, I hope you like it!

A guest reviewer recently asked if we will be seeing any more of Emma taking care of Regina in the future and the answer is absolutely yes! Thank you to those who reviewed the last chapter, I would update even less frequently without you so thank you so much for your constant support. Let me know how this one goes xx

Emma had promised in her note to Henry that she would be back for him within the hour, but as that hour was quickly coming to an end she found herself reluctant to leave Regina's side despite knowing that she would be back in almost no time at all. Regina had recently thrown up a few times and while the blonde knew there was nothing she could really do to help, she could see the misery in the other woman's eyes and didn't want to go too far in case Regina needed her again.

While the nurses had been tending to Regina, Emma had cleared out of the way and left the ICU in order to check her cell for any messages from Henry. She had left Regina's Blackberry on the counter in the apartment for Henry to use, but so far there were no messages from anyone at all. The most likely scenario was that her son was still asleep and hadn't seen the note, but there was also the possibility that he hadn't thought to text her and was simply awaiting her return as was promised. She sent him one text asking if he was awake yet, and then a second text reminding him of the hospital extension he could call if he needed to reach her. After waiting a minute or two for a reply that never came, she headed back to Regina's room.

Because the nurses were busy, Emma had to wait a bit before she was let back in to the ICU. Once she was buzzed in she found Dr. Montgomery now at Regina's side. The doctor was speaking quietly with Regina, and Emma was pleased to see that her friend seemed to be much calmer now.

"Good evening Emma," Montgomery greeted her kindly.

"Hey," Emma gave a small smile in response. "Is she okay?" Emma returned to her seat beside Regina and took the other woman's hand, earning a somewhat dispirited, tired smile from the patient.

"Yes she'll be alright." The doctor responded. "I believe this is just a side effect. She's just having a little trouble adjusting to the hemofiltration, that's all. As I was just saying to Regina, after going so long without treatment this is proving to be a slight shock to her system."

"It's not a bad sign is it?" Emma asked. "I mean, this isn't going to get worse right? The treatment is supposed to help her."

"No it's not a bad sign. This doesn't happen to everyone but it is not uncommon for patients new to renal replacement therapy to feel a little nauseas after the first few cycles." Montgomery replied, speaking to both Regina and Emma. "I wouldn't worry Regina, you won't be throwing up every day. With frequent treatments your body will become more accustomed to it."

Regina gave a small nod in understanding. "So this isn't me rejecting the treatment or anything?" She asked in a quiet, raw voice.

"Not at all. But in the meantime I am making a few adjustments so hopefully the rest of the transition will be a little more graceful for you."

"Thank you."

Montgomery gave her a reassuring smile, rubbing her arm gently. Regina closed her eyes, clearly no longer afraid.

"Other than this does everything seem to be feeling okay with your treatment?" The doctor asked as she worked on the machine. "Do you have any discomfort regarding the catheter or anything else?" She placed a hand on her own chest indicating the area where Regina's access was on hers.

Regina shook her head.

"And your pain levels?"

"They're fine." Regina responded.

Emma could sense that Regina wasn't entirely being honest but she did not argue, they all knew Regina couldn't have any more pain relievers for another hour. Montgomery seemed to see through Regina's facade anyhow. Her tone instantly softened.

"Regina I've been wanting to ask... Have you pressed charges against the man who did this to you?"

The question caused Regina to momentarily freeze. Her eyes searched for Emma's as the blonde squeezed Regina's hand comfortingly.

"No." Regina responded.

"You know, it's never too late to do so," Montgomery said softly. "No one should be allowed to get away with something like this."

"He's being dealt with." Regina answered grimly. "He's not a threat to me anymore." She said, although the ice in her tone did little to mask the uncertainty in her eyes.

"What do you mean he's being dealt with?" The doctor asked in soft curiosity.

When Regina didn't respond, Emma thought it best to step in and assist. "Well you see I... well I sort of... put him in the hospital when I found where he was keeping Regina and saw what he was doing to her." Emma shrugged a little sheepishly, but not with regret. "He's under arrest and he'll be taken into custody once he's discharged."

Montgomery didn't look appalled as Emma may have guessed she would. In fact she looked a little impressed. She seemed speechless for a few moments until she seemed to remember herself. Finally she said, "well I can't exactly say I blame you." The doctor's eyes washed over Regina, barely concealing the sadness as she took in the appearance of the battered younger woman. "If anyone had done this to someone I loved I would want to respond the same way you did." Her expression changed and she actually smiled at Emma. "I don't know if I could do it, but I would certainly want to."

Emma was very surprised that the doctor didn't think less of her for resorting to violence, and she felt her face redden a little at the praise. Her eyes drifted to Regina's and the blush only deepened when she saw the affectionate smile on her friend's face. The look was so warm that just seeing Regina smile like that was enough to put a reciprocating smile on Emma's own face in response. Emma glanced at Dr. Montgomery who was looking between the two women with a soft look in her eyes. Regina dropped her gaze away from the other two, wrapping her arms around herself but still smiling.

"So this man... your former doctor... he's being treated back at your local hospital?" Montgomery asked, bringing them back onto topic.

"Yes." Emma answered for Regina, whose smile began to fade at the mention of Whale again. "David–the friend you spoke with on the phone last night–has been keeping me up to date."

The doctor's brow furrowed. "But if the man who did this was the only doctor in your town who is providing his medical care now?"

It was a fair question. Emma shrugged, "nurses I guess? Honestly I don't even care. He's going to be arrested no matter what."

"The police won't be able to detain him if you don't press charges." Montgomery reminded them.

"They have enough to hold him." Regina insisted quietly but firmly, her tone suggesting that all talk of Whale was over. "Please, I don't want to discuss him right now." The others both noticed the tears in her eyes and decided not to push the subject. Emma knew Regina was right, Storybrooke had a different set of laws and she knew that once Whale was out of the hospital David would have no trouble throwing him in the jail cell that wasn't already occupied by Albert Spencer. Emma was aware however, that Montgomery was likely to bring this up again.

"I understand." Montgomery responded. "But please know that if you need any help with this matter, this hospital is behind you every step of the way. If you do at any point wish to contact the police just let me or one of the nurses know."

Regina nodded but did not look up.

"Thank you," Emma responded on Regina's behalf.

Montgomery breathed a quiet sigh, standing up a little straighter. "Everything looks good here," she said, indicating the machines. "I've made a slight change. We're going to take it a little slower, so hopefully it will be a little more comfortable for you Regina. I'll come around a bit later to see how you are doing. In the meantime, the nurses are always just outside if you need anything okay?"

"Thanks." Emma responded again.

The two women watched the doctor's retreating form. Emma wanted to talk to her more, she wanted to know everything there was to know about Regina's illness and what could be done to fix it, but she knew there would be plenty of time for all that.

Once the doctor had left, Regina leaned back against her pillow again, her eyes searching Emma's.

"What is it?" Emma asked.

Regina frowned, she seemed to be thinking over something.

"Do you want to contact the police?" Emma asked in surprise.

"No." Regina responded quickly. "Storybrooke is in enough trouble as it is." She muttered quietly.

Emma nodded but Regina didn't continue so she decided to try changing the subject. "Henry hasn't responded, I think he's still asleep." She studied Regina, who had only nodded distractedly in response. Clearly changing the topic was not going to work.

"What are you thinking about?" Emma asked curiously.

Regina's brow furrowed. "Montgomery came to check on me while you were back at the apartment. She said that my case is so unusual..."

"Unusual?"

Regina bit her lip. "Even though it would make more sense temporally, she says it is unlikely that I have chronic kidney disease. She says everything points towards another type of renal failure which they refer to as acute."

"While you were asleep this morning I was told something about that too... but I still don't really understand the difference between the two types." Emma didn't mention the part where she hadn't been listening because she had been too busy watching Regina to see if she would finally open her eyes.

"Acute kidney failure develops far more quickly than chronic. I don't have any underlying diseases that would have caused chronic and so it's obvious that it was just that one night... well, morning... when I took those pills. I mean yes... I will admit I had been drinking a bit while you and Henry were gone but... that was just a few days, and trust me it wasn't that much. Just a few glasses of wine... Chronic kidney disease can take years, decades even to develop, not a few days of minor drinking. Most likely the main cause was those pills and the cider that was seeping into my system over the many hours I was unconscious that morning."

"But didn't we already know that?"

Regina held her gaze for a few moments. "You know how much I took that night, and you know how long it was before David and Mary Margaret found me. Most people would have died after such a length of time but I didn't."

"What are you getting at?" Emma asked in confusion.

"Acute renal failure is far easier to treat." Regina said softly. "Well perhaps easier is the wrong word, what I mean is... the doctor told me that it is more easily reversible than the alternative."

"You mean–?"

"Yes," Regina said a little breathily. "Montgomery thinks it's a miracle that I've held on for so long without treatment. Normally a patient with acute kidney failure could die within days of developing it if they don't receive treatment. Obviously not always because every case is different, but that's how quickly this disease moves. Days Emma. But I didn't start having severe symptoms until months later, after the curse broke. Montgomery can't know this obviously so of course she thinks it's a miracle, but I think it was like we thought: the curse was slowing down the process."

Emma's expression changed. Back when they had still been in Storybrooke she and Regina had already discussed these possible freezing effects of the curse on Regina's illness, and then subsequently, once the curse was broken, Storybrooke's magic and the question of whether it was protecting Regina. This discussion about the kind of kidney failure Regina had was new though.

"Why didn't Whale tell us any of this?"

"Because he's always been a useless idiot. Or maybe he just didn't think it was something I needed to know." Regina muttered bitterly.

"Does this mean that the doctor thinks you are going to get better more quickly then?"

Regina's expression faltered only a little bit. "Maybe." She replied softly. "Remember, the kidney failure may have been frozen by the curse, but it has still been some time since the curse was broken. And ever since then my illness has been progressing normally."

Emma glanced nervously towards the open door, worried about anyone overhearing their peculiar conversation. Regina followed her gaze. She did not comment but she seemed to understand.

"This doesn't change the fact that I am in really bad shape Emma..." Regina continued more quietly, "and what Sidney and Whale did to me didn't help matters in the least, but I do think this means we can allow ourselves a little more hope that things will work out."

"That you'll get better." Emma surmised, mostly because she wanted to hear the words aloud. "Regina I really hope this is true."

"I still won't get better overnight but... at least hopefully it means I have a better chance?"

There was a soft knock at the door. They looked up to see a nurse standing there. "Excuse me, I'm so sorry to intrude but your son was just on the phone. He said he's ready to come back now."

Without waiting for a reply, the nurse quickly left them to their privacy.

Emma's shoulders slumped a little, she wanted to keep talking. She looked back over at Regina who was gazing at her sadly.

"I suppose you're going to have to leave now aren't you?" Regina stated more than asked.

Emma gave a small, apologetic shrug. "I'll be back soon though, and Henry will be with me." She reminded Regina optimistically.

Regina nodded distractedly, looking away. Emma studied her a little harder, she thought the mention of Henry's return would cheer Regina up for sure. "Do you not want me to leave just yet? I'm sure he won't mind if I hang around a little while longer, I could go out and call him–"

"No it's not that..." Regina mumbled.

"Then–?"

Regina closed her eyes. "I just don't want Henry to see me getting sick here. I want him to see me getting better, not the opposite."

"Oh..." Emma said. "Regina he'll understand. We just have to explain to him that you're adjusting, he's a smart kid he'll get it. He'll be able to understand that this isn't a setback. And he's seen you throwing up before. Hell, he's taken care of you while you've been throwing up before. He's tougher than he looks, he'll be okay. Besides, who's to say you will get sick again? Maybe that was the last of it."

Regina didn't look quite convinced.

"Regina it hasn't even been a day yet. You should have started this treatment months ago. I'm sure a few speed bumps are to be expected."

Regina sighed, looking away from Emma. She closed her eyes again and leaned back into her pillow, sinking a little further down into the bed. "I wish David and Mary Margaret were here. I never thought I would say this but I... I miss them. And I don't want Henry to have to spend every minute here at the hospital. It's not good for him. If they were here, he wouldn't have to be here just because you are."

"Regina I told you before, he wants to be near you." Emma responded, a smile tugging at her lips at the mention of her parents.

"Still, he's young. He needs exercise, fresh air... and you shouldn't spend all your time here either. But at the same time..."

"You don't want to be here alone," Emma finished softly for her.

Regina opened her eyes to reveal the heartbreak she had been hiding. She shook her head, blinking back fresh tears.

"Regina it's okay."

"I'm sorry. It won't stay like this." Regina insisted. "I think it's because everything is still so fresh in my mind. Every time I go to sleep... And then the first thing I see when I wake up is him... them. And there is always that moment of wondering whether I might still be there and–" Regina cut herself off, shaking her head.

Emma took Regina's hand to stop her. "Hey," She said softly. "You don't have to apologize, I understand. This was a big move, of course it's going to be stressful. I'll try to be here with you as much as possible okay?"

Regina's eyes searched Emma's.

"It's not an imposition. I told you, I want to be here, and so does Henry. And hey..." Emma gave a small shrug, "if it turns out he does need some time away from the hospital I'll take him to the apartment where he'll be safe, but Regina, as long as you need me here I'll be here okay?"

"I know." Regina nodded. "I'm just not ready." She whispered, and Emma knew the unsaid rest of that sentence was: to be on my own again.

"It's okay. It's barely been twenty-four hours since we found you. Something like this isn't going to leave you quickly. I would be scared too. Any normal person would be. I promised you you wouldn't have to do this alone and I meant it."

Regina's eyes lifted to Emma's again and Emma was pleased to see that she seemed a little reassured.

Emma squeezed Regina's hand comfortingly. "Do you need a few minutes before I leave to get Henry? I could let him know I'm going to wait for you to fall asleep or something."

"No. If he wants to be here he should be here. Besides, it's probably better if you went and got him as soon as possible. I wouldn't put it past him to try to run off and find his own way here if you delay too long."

"Oh god, you're right." Emma's expression changed. That was definitely in Henry's character these days. She would not soon forget the grief he had put herself and Regina through the day before when he had disappeared for hours. "I'll go get him."

As Emma was leaving the ICU she saw Dr. Montgomery by the nurse's station going over some paperwork. The doctor said something and handed the documents to the woman she was speaking with, and then waved Emma over

"Is everything okay?" The blonde asked.

"Emma, I was wondering if I could speak with you about Regina. I didn't want to put too much on her in there, she needs her rest and I didn't want to give her anything more to worry about."

This can't be good, Emma worried. "Uh, sure."

"Out in the family room?" The doctor suggested.

"Okay, yeah that works."

And so Emma followed the doctor to the empty waiting room where the older brunette indicated for Emma to take a seat. Emma chose a spot on the couch while Montgomery took an armchair.

"I don't want to overwhelm Regina by forcing too much change on her at once, but I think it would be beneficial for her to speak to one of our counsellors. Starting tomorrow would be ideal. Do you think that's something she would be ready for? She told me earlier that she didn't want to speak to anyone, but she has been through a lot and I think it would be good for her to discuss what's happened to her with a professional who can show her how to move forward in a healthy way."

"Well... I mean yeah I definitely think it sounds like a good idea, but if she's already said no..."

"I was hoping you could talk to her about it."

"Me?"

"She obviously trusts you, and I'm hoping you will be able to convince her that this can only help her."

Emma sighed, looking unsure.

"The nurses and I have noticed that she has displayed signs of anxiety over several things that I'm afraid she's going to be around a lot in the days to come."

"Anxieties?" Emma asked, frowning.

"Yes, it's little things. You may have even noticed some of it yourself... the sound of the wheels on the carts, the sound of disposable gloves snapping, the smell of rubbing alcohol... that last one in particular seems to be a bit of a trigger for her. While you were gone earlier, I'm afraid Regina got very upset and at first we couldn't figure out what was wrong. She had been half asleep and I don't think she realized where she was initially. She was scared. Ultimately I was able to calm her down, but I'm sure this has something to do with her kidnapping. I don't want her stay at Mass General to be a constant reminder of the hell she's been put through, and so I want her to see someone who can help her overcome these anxieties."

Rubbing alcohol. Emma's mind was reeling. "It hasn't even been a day yet, isn't it possible she'll just get used to this stuff? I mean, she knows these are everyday items here."

"It is, but there is so much more beyond this that she should discuss with a counsellor. It will only help her." The doctor repeated.

"I guess I can bring it up with her... And I do agree with you that I think it's something that would help... but I think if she says no I'm not going to push it okay? I don't want to fight her, not now."

"I understand. Thank you, I truly believe that if there is anyone she is going to listen to right now it's you."

A/N: Thank you for reading, please review! Take care xx