Emma was kissing her neck. It felt nice. So nice Regina had to moan softly.
'I like that sound,' Emma told her. 'Do it again?'
It wasn't a demand. It was a question. Emma kissed her neck again. Softly. Gently. Then her lips were trailing down. Dotting kisses on her right breast. Then her left one. That felt nice too. Regina moaned again. Emma was so good at this. She always knew exactly how and where to kiss her.
'I like that.' Emma was nearly chuckling against her breast. 'You should totally do it again, babe. Again and again.' She resumed kissing Regina's breast, and Regina moaned again. Her toes curled and her fingers automatically closed around the bedspread underneath her. She and Emma had been in such a hurry, they hadn't even shoved the covers aside. How deliciously scandalous. Regina loved when they were in a hurry. She loved when they couldn't get their clothes off fast enough. Their clothes were laying strewn all over the bedroom floor. Emma had playfully tossed her bra to the furthest end of the room earlier. 'It'll take you longer to find it afterwards' she jokingly had told Regina.
Regina had smirked and rolled her eyes and thought to herself that Emma was a very wicked woman. The best kind of wicked, of course.
'Can we please do this every single day?' Emma asked from her position between Regina's breasts. I need to do this every single day. It's so much better than drinking a healthy smoothy or going for a run or whatever. This is my kind of selfcare!'
Regina rumbled quietly. She loved when Emma babbled. When she was being silly. There was always room for that. Especially in this situation. Being playful and laughing in bed was something Regina was still getting used to. But it was getting easier. Because of Emma.
Emma took her nipple between her teeth and sucked gently while slowly trailing her hand down. Regina squirmed a bit when she felt soft, gentle fingers touch her so intimately and tenderly. Emma really was an amazing lover. She knew exactly when and where to touch her. Had known since the first time. Sometimes it felt like she knew Regina's body better than Regina did. Every 'weak' spot. All the little things that made Regina's toes curl and her mind go foggy.
She squeezed the bedspread a little tighter. The movement nearly matched the tightening sensation she felt low in her stomach. The tightening was accompanied by a most familiar tingling sensation. She needed more.
Emma lifted her head and smiled at her. 'Are you ready to feel more pleasure, beautiful?'
Regina nodded rapidly and made herself slightly dizzy in the process. Oh, how ready she was! Emma smiled. Then slowly began touching Regina where she needed it the most.
It was her own moan that roused Regina from her sleep. She slowly opened her eyes and familiarized herself with her surroundings. Oh, right. This was the hotel room in Toronto. Not Emma's bedroom back in Vancouver. Unfortunately. For a split second, all Regina felt was annoyance because she had woken up right in the middle of such a lovely dream.
"Good morning you," Emma's voice was very soft and the snicker only slightly teasing. "That looked like it was a good dream."
Regina felt a blush creep up her neck and spread to her cheeks. So Emma was awake too. And she had heard everything. Oh dear. Regina turned her head and gave a quick nod. It had indeed been a good dream. It was just a shame that it had been over too quickly. She could still feel a very faint tingling sensation low in her belly.
"Don't blush," Emma insisted and gave another soft laugh. "There's absolutely nothing to blush about. You looked beautiful. And you still do. Obviously."
Starting the day with a compliment. Regina couldn't deny that she was happy about that. But the headshake nonetheless came automatically and before she could think about it. Perhaps she should get better at taking compliments in the future. Oh well. She lifted her hands and tried not to be too slobby in her signing as she silently asked: 'How are you?'
"I'm actually pretty nervous," Emma admitted, forehead creasing as she frowned and gorgeous green eyes clouding over with palpable anxiety. "I honestly thought I would be more zen about the whole deal about seeing my adoptive parents, but apparently, I'm not."
Of course. It was only natural that Emma was anxious about the upcoming meeting with her adoptive parents. Regina could only imagine how hard it had to be for her, coming face to face with two people who had mistreated her in her childhood. That was not something Emma had to be 'zen' about. Regina opened her arms and silently invited Emma to come closer, and Emma, who had gotten so, so good at reading her, immediately slid into her arms and nuzzled her nose against the side of Regina's neck.
The soft breath on the side of her neck had Regina squirming slightly.
"Is that tickling you?" Emma lifted her head and looked at her.
Regina nodded. Yes, that was exactly what Emma's soft breath did. Tickled her. Perhaps in more than one place, but that was not something Emma needed to know.
"Oh. Sorry." Emma laughed softly once more. "I'll try not to tickle you." As to prove that, she wiggled slightly and angled her nose and mouth away from the side of Regina's neck. Her next breath didn't tickle. It was just nice. That long, deep exhaled oozed comfortability. Regina loved that.
"This is like... really, really nice." Emma almost sounded like she was about to drift off again.
Regina let out an agreeing sound that could almost have been a hum. Yes, this was indeed really nice. It felt good to just lay here and delay everything for a moment. That included upcoming meetings with awful adoptive parents and incoming surgeries.
"I love morning snuggles. Best way ever to start the day!"
Regina gave another agreeing sound and was silently slightly amused. Emma sounded so genuinely excited. It was so sweet.
"How are you feeling? Nervous about tomorrow?"
Yes. She nodded. Couldn't deny that. The surgery itself wasn't so bad, she would be asleep the whole time. It was the aftermath that worried her. She was afraid of something triggering all the bad feelings she'd had during her last hospital stay. She was afraid of being alone in the hospital room during the night. It was when she was alone that the thoughts came. What if the shadows in the hospital room looked like Killian? What if the pain in her throat would be agonizing? And what if the operation wouldn't even work? There was nothing worse than to be optimistic in vain….
"Hey." Emma cupped her cheek, brought her back. "It's okay. I'll be right there when you wake up."
Of course. Regina smiled bravely and patted Emma's cheek. The here and the now. That was the only thing she should focus on right now. The only thing she could focus on. If she began worrying about everything at once, she would worry herself into a corner. Worrying was like sitting in a rocking chair. It kept you occupied but got you absolutely nowhere. That was what Doctor Kristine had told her. And Regina was always striving to live by that saying. No rocking chairs for her.
Emma stretched like she was a cat who had found a patch of sun. "What do you say we cancel everything and stay in bed the whole day?"
Tempting offer. Regina rumbled in amusement. If only that was possible.
"And you explain to me- in details- what you were dreaming about," Emma added, waggling an eyebrow in a way that perhaps wasn't the most seductive, but definitely sweet.
Regina flashed her what she hoped was a mysterious smile and booped Emma's nose.
"Does that mean you're not going to tell me?" Emma teased. "Am I supposed to guess?"
What an intriguing idea. Her concern melted away in favor of amusement as Emma indeed began to guess what her dream had been about. Her third guess was actually correct, but Regina kept shaking her head no each time Emma guessed. It was so entertaining to listen to her ideas…
Somehow, they made it out of bed. After a bit more snuggling, of course. Emma gallantly offered to let Regina use the bathroom first, and Regina didn't protest much before taking Emma up on that offer.
In the bathroom, she undressed and stepped into the shower. The water was nice and warm and the shower fairly big. Had this been any other morning, Regina would have suggested that Emma joined her. Lately, she had come to appreciate showering with her partner.
She didn't spend too long on showering, though. She didn't want to keep Emma waiting for too long. So after having rinsed her body properly, Regina switched off the water and stepped out of the shower. She wrapped one of the fluffy white hotel towels around her body and picked up the second and smaller towel so she could dry her hair.
It was then she spotted it. Right there at her left temple. A grey hair. Regina stared at the offending sign of age in the mirror. Was this it? Was she starting to get grey hairs now? Oh no! Darn it. She scowled at her reflection in the mirror. Was this the price for feeling the same age as her twenty seven year old girlfriend?
Yes. Apparently, it was.
Regina probably could have spent a while on staring herself blind at the grey hair, but once again she reminded herself that Emma needed to shower too. She didn't have time to obsess over her grey hair now. She left her hair damp and slightly curly but toweled off her body quickly. Then she got dressed. Sheer stockings first. Regina carefully rolled them on and made sure that the stockings weren't ripped anywhere. She had chosen a plum colored sweater dress that ended just below the knee to go with the stockings. She liked the dress because it was very soft and comfortable. But also because it had a turtleneck. That meant that she did not have to put on a scarf today. Regina was getting tired of putting on scarves. It made her neck feel itchy like it was covered in ants. Not very pleasant.
Once dressed, she examined herself in the mirror. Yes, this was a nice outfit. She looked a bit tired because she hadn't yet done her makeup, but she would rectify that in a moment.
She folded the wet towels and left them on the side of the sink to show the hotel maid that they had been used. Then she left the bathroom.
Emma was sitting on the bed. She too had picked clothes for the day. A pair of skinny jeans and a red sweater Regina imagined would look amazing with Emma's golden hair.
"You look beautiful," Emma said and smiled at her.
Regina once again remembered the grey hair and lifted an eyebrow. Scowled as she gestured to the grey hair. Then walked over to the mirror. She was hoping to discover that the grey hair simply had been a stain on the bathroom mirror or a trick of the light, but unfortunately, that was not the case. The grey hair was still very much there.
"What?" Emma rose from the bed and followed Regina over to the mirror.
Regina pointed to her temple again and felt awfully vexed about the sign of aging.
"Oh." Emma chuckled softly in an 'no big deal'-way.
But this was a big deal! She was getting old, for god's sake! Regina sighed deeply and snatched her phone from the bedside table. Began typing as fast as she could. After a moment, the result was ready. 'I'm old. You're dating an old lady!' she flipped the screen so Emma could read what she had written.
Emma scoffed. "Okay, that's about the worst bull I've ever heard! You're thirty five, Regina. No way in hell that's old!"
She had to respectfully disagree with that. She sighed and shook her head before beginning to carefully inspect every strand of hair in the mirror.
"Babe, it's one grey hair," Emma said gently and patiently. "Not a whole bunch. Relax."
Relax? When she had just found a grey hair that very, very quickly could in fact become a whole bunch? Absolutely not! She pursed her lips and felt every bit determinated as she grabbed the offending hair with two fingers and then yanked it out of her scalp. It nipped slightly, but at least it was gone now.
"Be careful with that. You better still have some hair left when I come back from the bathroom, okay?"
Regina rumbled in response. She would make sure to not be bald when Emma was done showering.
"Okay. I'll be right back." Emma trotted over to the bed and grabbed her clothes. She turned around and headed towards the bathroom, but on the way, she playfully bumped her hip against Regina's.
Regina made the same humming sound as she had done earlier. That was nice.
Emma disappeared inside the bathroom. Regina stopped obsessing about her hair and sat down on the edge on the bed with her phone. Took the opportunity to text Mal and tell her that she and Emma had arrived in Toronto and that everything was going well so far. She didn't expect Malena to answer immediately. She was probably busy working.
In the bathroom, Emma began whistling to herself. The sound made Regina smile. Her Emma was not one for singing in the shower. But whistling? Oh, yes. She did plenty of that. And Regina was amused every single time. This morning's choice was 'Sweet Child O' Mine'. It didn't take long before Regina began tapping her foot to the rhythm…
When Emma too was showered and dressed in her jeans and red sweater (which did look very nice on her!) they headed downstairs to have breakfast. And to meet Zelena and Henry for breakfast. Henry said good morning to them in his usual upbeat fashion as he came over and gave both of them a hug.
But Zelena did not seem very upbeat at all. She actually looked quite unwell despite smiling when she said good morning.
Regina lifted an eyebrow as she wiggled her fingers and asked Zelena how she was doing.
"I'm fine," Zelena replied. "Absolutely fine and dandy. The tea they serve here just seems to be absolutely ghastly!"
The tea, huh? 'Do you feel sick?' she silently asked her sister.
"My stomach seems to have decided to wage war upon me." Zelena said with a grimace. "Which is entirely my own fault. I've been working pretty intensely lately, and now that I'm taking a break... Useless, aging body…."
Regina was pretty sure that what Zelena was experiencing had very little to do with her body being 'useless' and 'aging', but she didn't delve into that now. Instead her sister's remark had her self-consciously touching her hair.
"Oh, stop it." Emma scoffed and even appeared to be rolling her eyes. "You do not have grey hair!"
The too loud remark earned her a rare stern look from Regina. She didn't like Emma basically shouting it into the restaurant.
"Grey hair?" Henry scrunched up his nose as he studied Regina's hair intensely. "Where? I don't see any."
"Thank you!" Emma said gratefully. "Neither do I."
Regina felt slightly soothed at that. Perhaps that grey hair had been a one time thing.
"Only a couple of wrinkles."
"Henry! You cannot say stuff like that!"
Regina narrowed her eyes and glared at them both. She was doing her best to be as intimidating as Emma's friend Ella apparently had though she was.
She failed. Completely and utterly. Henry gave a little snicker. Clearly not intimidated at all. "I'm just kidding, mom. You don't have any wrinkles. Or grey hair. Or anything else that makes you look old."
Regina ignored her sister's sniggers and settled with that. Even though it was not true. She knew she had wrinkles here and there. But for now, she was willing to ignore it. She could pretend that she didn't have wrinkles. She let it go and gestured towards the breakfast buffet.
"Yeah," Emma agreed with her. "Let's have some breakfast."
"I'm hungry!" Henry said eagerly.
"I think I'll sit this one out," Zelena said mournfully. "My stomach is not interested in food this morning. Blastered thing."
Regina patted her sister's shoulder. And wondered how long it would take before Zelena put two and two together. She had been feeling 'poorly' for a while now. Sooner or later, she had to realize what was happening, right?
Regina, Emma and Henry had breakfast. Eggs. Bacon. Toast. Henry was even planning on having pancakes afterwards. Regina wasn't sure she wanted pancakes. To be honest, she wasn't even sure about this food. Her appetite seemed to be disappearing. She was nervous. It felt like her stomach was full of bubbles.
Emma wasn't eating a whole lot either, Regina noticed. She was instead pushing her food around on her plate. She was probably nervous too. Poor thing.
Regina reached out and gave Emma's hand a soft little squeeze.
Emma squeezed back.
Regina smiled.
"What time are you guys leaving?" Henry asked.
The question was directed at both of them, but Regina left Emma to answer. "Right after breakfast, kid," she told him and smiled at him too.
"M'kay." the word sounded casual enough, but Regina could see the concern in her son's eyes. He was worried. For Emma. Naturally, Regina didn't want her son to be worried about anything ever, but at the same time, she found it so sweet that Henry was worried for Emma's sake.
Next to her, Emma shifted uneasily on her chair. Sensing that she was growing anxious, Regina gently patted Emma's hand in what she hoped was a soothing gesture.
"Mom will look after you. Won't you, mom?" Henry asked and smiled slightly at Regina.
Regina smiled at her son. Oh yes, she would look after Emma! But before she could grow too protective, she hastily signed. 'If she wants me to.'
"Yeah, of course. If she wants you too," Henry translated and nodded.
"I always want you to look after me," Emma's voice was firm, but her lips were soft as she surprised Regina by pecking her cheek.
"I might barf," Zelena announced, and Regina was about to sign something rude, but Henry was faster than her.
"Don't be mean, aunt Z!" he tried to sound firm, but he was snickering at the same time.
"I'm not being mean, I'm actually quite serious," Zelena said and wrinkled her nose as she abruptly stood from her chair. "But fortunately enough, I packed some medicine. Do excuse me for a moment."
Regina tilted her head as she observed her sister swiftly going up the stairs. For all her wits, Zelena certainly was very dense right now. Did she really not know what was going on? Seriously? Well. If she didn't know, perhaps it was time that someone told her. Someone being Regina right now. Zelena didn't need medicine. She needed a little nudge in the right direction.
"Do you wanna go after her?" Emma asked. She had clearly seen Regina look after Zelena.
Well, yes, she did want to go after her sister, but… Regina tapped at her wristwatch twice and shook her head to indicate that there wasn't time for that.
"You've got plenty of time for that. Go on. Go and check on her." The encouraging words were followed by a gentle little nudge.
Regina didn't need further encouragement than that. She excused herself and stood from her chair. Then briskly walked over to the staircase and began the ascending. Reaching the top of the stairs, she quickly trotted down the hallway in the direction she and Emma had come from. She found the door to Zelena's room. For some reason, Zelena had left it half-ajar, and Regina took this as an invitation. She pushed the door fully open and stepped inside.
A sound in the bathroom quickly gave away what was happening. Zelena certainly hadn't gotten to her medicine.
Having stood by her son's side through every stomach bug meant that Regina wasn't squeamish. She purposefully headed into the bathroom where she found Zelena hunched over the toilet. Regina wasted no time in pulling her sister's flaming red curls away from her face to avoid any potential disasters. She held Zelena's hair with one hand and rubbed her back with the other.
Zelena groaned before retching one more time.
Regina saw her through it. Held her hair. Rubbed her back. She wished that she could have said something soothing, but alas, that was not possible. She had to settle for this quiet comfort.
"Oh god," Zelena groaned. "This is awful!" she retched once more for good measurement. Then croaked: "I think I'm done now."
Regina went to work. Shamelessly roamed through her sister's toiletries until she found a hair tie. She pulled her sister's hair back in a ponytail. Then she grabbed the little glass standing on the sink. Filled it with cold water and handed it to Zelena. While Zelena rinsed her mouth, Regina roamed through her toiletries one more time. Found Zelena's toothbrush and toothpaste.
"Thank you." Zelena traded the now empty glass for the toothbrush.
Regina stepped away from the sink while Zelena brushed her thoroughly and then spat in the sink.
"Bloody hell!" Zelena cussed. "I don't understand what's wrong with me these days! I can barely keep anything down and I'm constantly tired!"
Indeed? Regina waited for the other shoe to drop.
It didn't.
"I don't know what on earth is going on, but it is a bloody aggressive stomach bug!"
Okay, that was it. This had been going on long enough. 'Have you taken a test?' Regina ended up signing even though that was an incredibly clunky way to go about this.
"A test?" Zelena raised a reddish eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
There literally was no way to gently break this to her sister. 'A pregnancy test', Regina signed.
Zelena's jaw dropped. "W-what?"
'You have been feeling sick and fatigued for a little while now', Regina clarified. 'Exactly like I was when I was pregnant with Henry.'
"I- what- no-" Zelena took a sharp breath. "Regina, I'm thirty seven!"
It was Regina's turn to lift her eyebrow now. 'And?' she mouthed. The last time she checked, being thirty seven wasn't some kind of magical contraception.
"But… But… But… Chad and I…. We're not even trying!"
Her voice had gone a bit pitchy, and Regina tilted her head in slight concern.
"I mean, if I really am…." Zelena settled for gesturing to her stomach. "I would be delighted! And so would Chad! I know he would! We haven't talked about having kids, but you know how much I love Henry and-" she sucked in a breath. "Do you really think I could be pregnant?"
Regina nodded and grinned slightly. It wasn't often Zelena rambled.
"But we've been using protection," Zelena said and frowned. "We've been- oh. Wait a second. There was that night where we-"
No. Just no. Regina stomped her foot very lightly against the floor and made a point of covering her ears. There were certain things she didn't want to know. And her sisters sex life ranked very, very high on that list.
"Okay, okay, I hear you," Zelena laughed. "Sorry. I'm just… very surprised. God… imagine if I am pregnant!" she beamed at Regina. "You could get a niece or nephew!"
Regina smiled. That truly would be amazing.
"I should take a test," Zelena mused, hand smoothing over her flat stomach. "But not yet. I need to settle down first."
'You should probably tell Chad too', Regina slyly signed and quirked an eyebrow.
Zelena laughed heartily at that. "Of course. I'll tell him. When we get back. This is not something to tell over the phone."
She was right about that for sure.
"Can't believe you figured it out before I did," Zelena said and shook her head.
Regina smirked and tapped her temple to indicate that she was far smarter than her sister ever could be. She left Zelena to 'settle down' on her own. Left her hotel room and went downstairs again.
Emma and Henry were still sitting in the restaurant. Regina wasn't even planning on sneaking up on them, but none of them seemed to have heard her as came closer. They were much too busy talking. Regina hovered behind them and shamelessly listened in.
"It's okay," Emma said and gave Henry's hand a little squeeze. "I get it."
"I'm sorry you're nervous about today." Henry gave her a little smile.
"That's okay," Emma said and chuckled slightly. "Your mom will be there to glare at them if they-"
Regina who happened to have her phone ready and available, interrupted the rest of the sentence by shoving the phone under Emma's nose so she could read the question Regina had just written. Which was: 'who will I glare at?'
"Mary Margaret and David," Emma snickered and turned her head.
Oh. Regina was satisfied with that and nodded in confirmation.
"Zelena's okay?" Emma asked.
As a reply, Regina gestured towards her stomach area to indicate that Zelena had an upset stomach. She couldn't share the truth with Emma. This was Zelena's secret.
"Oh. Poor her," Emma sympathized. "Is she feeling very sick?"
Regina shook her head. Zelena had looked a bit peaky, but at least she wasn't throwing up anymore.
"Is she feeling too sick to play cards with me?" Henry piped up.
That brought a smile to Regina's lips as she shook her head no. Zelena was definitely well enough for that.
"Awesome!" Henry grinned. "She promised me a rematch, and I really wanna win!"
"Good luck with the epic battle, kid," Emma said with a chuckle and sparkling eyes. "Let us know how it went when we come home."
"I'll win," Henry said confidently and even went as far as puffing out his chest. "Aunt Z is gonna be one sore loser!"
Regina exchanged an amused glance with Emma at that. That remained to be seen, didn't it? If Henry was going for the victory, he certainly had every advantage. Regina could imagine that her little 'nudge' had thrown Zelena off quite a bit.
"We can't wait to hear all about it when we come back, kid," Emma grinned. "And we want all the details. Right, Regina?"
Yes. Regina nodded. All the details indeed…
A taxi was hailed, and Emma interlaced her fingers with Regina.
Regina held onto her hand. Emma didn't need to vocalize her feelings in order for Regina to know what was going on. Emma was anxious and needed closeness. And naturally, Regina would never deny her that.
"Do you want some pie afterwards?" Emma asked a bit out of the blue. "We could buy something on the way back. Don't you think Henry would be thrilled about that?"
Regina was both surprised and happy as she nodded. Pie was of course always a good idea. But especially today.
"Great," Emma said and feigned innocence before grinning. "It's not staying in bed all day, but it's almost as good."
Oho, bold comment to make in a taxi, Regina thought to herself. Good thing that their driver was focusing on the road and not them. She smirked. If Emma cold be bold, so could she. She let go of Emma's hand to find her phone in her pocket. Her smirk didn't lessen as she typed: 'perhaps we aren't able to spend the whole day in bed, but I wouldn't be opposed to take a shower together later.' Satisfied with that, she turned the screen towards Emma so she could read.
"Way to make me flushed in a taxi," Emma muttered under her breath and if Regina wasn't mistaken, a faint blush rose in her normally so pale cheeks.
Regina smirked again and quirked an eyebrow at her partner, satisfied with having made Emma blush. She looked so beautiful when she blushed.
"I'd like that," Emma said and gave the phone still in Regina's hand a slight tap. "Very much so."
Well then. Now Regina was straight up grinning as she stuffed the phone away in her pocket again.
"And can I have your hand back now, please?" Emma continued. She was clearly trying to joke, but she wasn't doing a very good job. Her voice was all vulnerability when she continued: "For some reason, I really need it right now."
Regina willingly and immediately offered her hand to Emma.
Emma was quick to slip her fingers in between Regina's. "Thanks." Her voice was quiet now. "And I'm sorry. I know I'm being clingy and needy."
Nonsense. Completely and utterly nonsense. Regina shook her head as firmly as she could and tapped Emma's lips twice in a shushing manner.
It worked. Emma laughed quietly first. Then kissed Regina's finger.
Naturally, Regina rolled her eyes at that. But she was amused at the same time.
"You think I'm adorable."
The completely pure and slightly goofy Emma Swan-comment had Regina melting on the inside. She answered in a very simple and equally goofy manner. By booping Emma's nose, of course.
That caused Emma to laugh so hard, she ended up attracting the driver's attention. She tried masking her laughter as a coughing fit, but little did it help.
Regina's chest rumbled in soft, silent laughter. They exchanged amused glances, and for a moment it felt like both of them had forgotten the purpose with this taxi ride.
That was, until the taxi rounded a corner, and the white hospital came into view. Regina was immediately done being amused as several of her memories about this hospital flared up in her mind. She could pinpoint exactly where the psychiatric ward was even from this distance. If she closed her eyes, she probably would be able to see the long hallways and the horrible green color the had been in her room.
It was uncomfortable, but Regina did not panic. She had her anchor right here. She squeezed Emma's fingers for comfort and was immediately rewarded with a squeeze in return.
"Five minutes," Emma muttered under her breath. "That's all she's getting."
Regina nodded and squeezed Emma's fingers again. This time to give comfort. Honestly, five minutes was way more than Mary Margaret had deserved. Emma was so brave and strong. Regina admired her partner's courage immensely. She truly was fantastic.
"How are you feeling?" Emma asked softly. "We're getting closer to the hospital. Are you alright?"
Regina gave a little smile and a reassuring nod. She didn't want to hide how she really felt, but she didn't want this to be about her either. It wasn't. It was about Emma. Emma's adoptive parents. Emma's anxiety about seeing them again after such a long time. And Regina would be damned if she couldn't push past her own anxiety and fear of hospitals to be there for Emma like Emma had been there for her a million times and more.
"Are you sure?"
Regina nodded and lifted their interlaced hands. She brushed a light kiss over Emma's knuckles. Just because she could. And because she did not care that this was a taxi.
Emma leaned into her side and rested her head on the top of Regina's shoulder. "I wish I wasn't so nervous. This really sucks."
More than ever, Regina wished that she could have said something. Anything. Offered words of comfort.
"I'm so glad you're here," Emma said softly.
Regina smiled. Maybe words weren't necessary after all.
They were still holding hands when they made it inside the hospital. Emma didn't even let go of her hand when heading over to the receptionist who was sitting behind a desk and tapping away on a laptop.
Emma cleared her throat softly, and the receptionist looked up from her laptop. "What can I do for you, miss…?"
"Swan. Emma Swan. I'm here to see my adoptive mother. Mary Margaret Blanchard. She's in the cardiology ward."
"Oh yes," the receptionist nodded. "That's in the eight floor. The elevator's just down the hall."
"Thank you," Emma said and turned her head.
Regina gave an encouraging smile and squeezed Emma's fingers once more as they headed down the hallway towards the elevator. Once there, she pushed the button once. It didn't take long before the elevator arrived with a soft 'ding' and the doors opened.
"Oh man, this is harder than I thought," Emma mumbled as they stepped inside the elevator. "I thought I was gonna be a lot cooler about this than I am."
It was not a question of being 'cool' about it. Emma was traumatized. And that was not to be taken lightly. Regina let go of her hand. But only to wrap an arm around Emma's shoulder and give her a gentle squeeze.
"I'll try and think about pie as much as possible," Emma halfheartedly quipped.
Regina rumbled. If Emma wanted to diffuse the tension then so be it.
"And taking showers with you," Emma added. "I'm gonna think a lot about that too."
That had Regina smirking again. Definitely not a bad thing to be thinking about.
On the third floor, the elevator stopped, and a group of nurses stepped inside. Emma moved a bit closer to her to make room for the nurses. Regina certainly wasn't unhappy about that. She was fairly certain that Emma was angling her nose in a way that meant that it nearly was buried in her hair. Interesting.
The elevator came to a stop on the fifth floor. All the nurses disappeared one by one, and as soon as the elevator doors had closed again, Emma quite literally sniffed her hair, causing Regina to puff out air and then rumble quietly once more.
"Your hair smells really nice," Emma said with a grin. "It always does."
Regina answered by making a slight humming sound in the back of her throat.
"You made that sound in your sleep this morning. It was really sexy."
Heat flooded her cheeks and Regina felt compelled to give Emma a shove. Just tiny, soft one of course.
"Ouch!" Emma said dramatically, immediately pretending to stagger backwards and tumble into the wall.
Regina of course rolled her eyes. But deep down, she found it funny.
The elevator stopped and the doors open for a third time. This time, it was the correct floor, and Regina and Emma stepped out of the elevator. Looked around and began walking down the hallway. Along the way they met a nurse, and Emma took the opportunity to ask where Mary Margaret was.
"Second blue door on your left. Room number ten," the smiling nurse told her.
"Thank you." Vulnerability had crept into Emma's voice, and Regina took her hand again. Gave it a little squeeze as they continued down the hallway.
They reached the blue door. Emma made no attempt at opening it. She merely stood and looked at it. Clearly needed a moment. As far as Regina was concerned, she could have as many moments as she wanted. They were not in a hurry. She had the strongest urge to turn Emma around. Pull her closer and kiss her. But she could sense that now perhaps wasn't the time nor the place for such gestures.
At last, Emma puffed out air. Straightened her back and lifted her free hand. Rapped it lightly against the blue door.
It didn't take long before someone responded to the knock. The door was opened by a man. He had silver grey hair and many lines around his mouth and eyes. But he was still younger than Regina had imagined him to be. If she should make a guess, she would say that he was in his early fifties.
"Emma," the man greeted and flashed Emma a smile.
The warm feelings weren't returned. "Hello," Emma said in a voice that was so stiff and formal Regina barely recognized it.
"Come in," the man who had to be David said and stepped aside.
Regina noted that Emma was squeezing her hand rather tightly. Of course it did not hurt, but still, she was definitely squeezing her hand harder than she normally would as they went inside the room David just had invited them into.
The hospital room could just as well have been the one Regina once had resided it. The sterile smell was the same. The bed was the same. The beeps from the machines were the same. The only thing that was different was the woman sitting in the hospital bed with lots of pillows to support her back.
Regina wasn't sure exactly what she had been expecting, but it certainly wasn't this. Mary Margaret Blanchard looked unbelievably small as she sat there in the large bed. Her short hair was snow white and there were dark circles under her big green eyes. Everything about her looked small and delicate. From her button nose to the small hands she elegantly had folded on top of the blanket covering her.
Regina thought to herself that it was startling how deceiving looks could be. When a man wore a uniform, you automatically felt safe. And if a woman looked small and delicate, it was taken for granted that she possibly could pose as any kind of threat.
"Emma," Mary Margaret said. She sounded out of breath.
"Hello," Emma said again. Her voice was still stiff and her posture rigid. Guarded.
Regina discreetly peered at the woman in the bed and saw that her green eyes flickered to her. Narrowed slightly. Regina immediately felt a flicker of annoyance. Was this the first sign of hostility? They had barely been in here for a minute.
"This is my girlfriend, Regina Mills," Emma introduced. Still formally sounding. But Regina could hear the twinge of pride in her voice too.
"I see," Mary Margaret Blanchard said. No greeting. Not even an attempt.
Regina had of course been warned about that, but still, she couldn't pretend that she wasn't shocked at the woman's rudeness.
It was a different story with David. He immediately sprang into action and came over to her. Stuck out his hand and greeted. "Hello, Regina. It's nice to meet you."
Regina smiled graciously at him as she shook his hand. Then she made eye contact with Emma who gave a little nod to signalize that she was ready to translate whenever Regina needed her to do so.
Once David had let go of her hand, Regina lifted both of them and wiggled her fingers in the air.
"It's nice to meet you too," Emma effortlessly translated for her.
Both David and Mary Margaret appeared to be surprised by that. Well, Mary Margaret perhaps more disapproving than surprised. She did not say anything, but David did. "Oh. You're... deaf?"
Regina didn't hold that against him. He wasn't the first one to think that. She shook her head and signed again. Tried her best to give him a quick, yet throughout explanation. Slowly, so she didn't end up confusing Emma.
"No, I am not deaf," Emma translated as soon as Regina had finished. "I can hear everything, I am simply unable to speak."
"Oh," David said. Just that. And Regina could see it in his eyes. He was puzzled. Curious, even. But he didn't ask anymore questions.
Emma turned her attention to Mary Margaret. "So? How are you doing?"
"Not too well," Mary Margaret sneered in a way that didn't become of her. "I'm supposed to have another operation."
"Yes, David told me."
"And your father seem to think that it's better for me to stay in the hospital and not being home with our son," Mary Margaret continued and shot her husband a look of disapproval.
"I'm just repeating what the doctor told you." David's voice was nearly as stiff as Emma's.
Regina saw Emma raise an eyebrow at that, and she too picked up on David's tone. According to Emma, he had done Mary Margaret's bidding and always taken her side. But this didn't sound like a man who did that. It sounded like the beginning of a riot.
Mary Margaret Blanchard huffed in that unflattering way once more and struggled to sit up more properly in the hospital bed. "And what have you been doing since your... spontaneous move to Vancouver, sweetie?" her voice was honey sweet and immediately made Regina feel tense and on edge. What an energy this woman had. How positively unnerving it was.
"I've done plenty," Emma said tonelessly. "I'm working at a publishing house."
"A publishing house?" Mary Margaret repeated in a nasty, overbearing tone that made Regina want to come forward and glare at her. "How nice."
Emma took it in strides. "Yes, it's the best job I've ever had. I'm finally doing something I love. And I've had plenty of time to write. I've finished my collections of fairytales, and they're about to be published."
Damn right they were. Regina's heart swelled with pride when she thought of Emma's talent and victory.
"Oh?" Mary Margaret said, voice still eerily sweet. "That's nice but be careful. You hear so much about vanity publishing these days."
Regina's temper reared its head. She was done keeping in the background and moved closer to Emma in silent support.
"I can assure you, it has nothing to do with vanity publishing," Emma said tightly.
"Of course not," the woman not worthy to call herself Emma's adoptive mother said in a tone that suggested she didn't believe her own words.
Regina put a hand on Emma's shoulder and tried to communicate. I'm here. I'm with you. You are not alone.
And perhaps Emma understood. She put her hand over Regina's.
That was when Mary Margaret switched attention. She looked at Regina. Measured her from head to toe. Her face twisted.
Regina refused to be intimidated. Two could play this game. She hadn't been called The Evil Queen for nothing. She calmly returned the look Mary Margaret was giving her and smiled. A very particular smile. The 'ice smile'. Malena had once dubbed it the 'don't fuck with me'-smile. And that was exactly what Regina was hoping to communicate. That she wasn't about to let this woman fuck with her.
Mary Margaret turned her attention back to Emma again. "Well, sweetie. I'm happy to see you are doing well."
"Are you?" Emma's voice was flat now. "Are you really?"
"Why, yes, of course I am." Mary Margaret claimed, and one could only be astounded at this woman's cheek. She sounded so innocently confused. Like she had no idea what Emma was talking about.
"Right."
Uncomfortable silence followed that one word. Regina struggled to stand still. She felt fidgety. Had the strongest urge to yank at her turtleneck which suddenly felt rather tight and warm and uncomfortable. What a meeting this was. It was… exactly as bad as Emma had warned her that it would be. And it felt like everything could blow up at any given moment.
Still, David fought to keep things civil. Clearing his throat, he said: "so, Regina, what are you doing for a living?"
Regina squeezed Emma's shoulders twice to indicate that she was alright with Emma answering the question on her behalf.
"Regina is a professor in English literature," Emma said. "She teaches online classes."
"A professor, really?" David said, lifting an eyebrow. "That's very impressive."
"Certainly better than waitressing," Mary Margaret said snippily. As though she was annoyed at Regina's profession. Perhaps she had hoped that Regina had had a different job. Something she could wrinkle her obnoxious little button nose over.
"There is nothing wrong with being a waitress, Mary Margaret," Emma said tightly.
"And I never said there was," Mary Margaret said, overbearing again. "Why won't you ever listen to me, Emma?"
Emma barked out a humorless laugh. "Seriously?"
"Mary Margaret," David said almost warningly. "Emma's come a long way to say hello to you."
There was definitely a riot brewing, Regina thought to herself. After everything Emma had told her, she hadn't expected David to take Emma's side at all. But now he was doing just that.
He cleared his throat again and looked at Emma. "Our babysitter is bringing Neal over shortly if you'd like to meet him?"
Oh yes. Neal. The baby they had adopted. Regina remembered Emma mentioning him. The 'little brother' Emma never had met.
"You're his sister, Emma," Mary Margaret interjected before Emma could get a chance to answer David's question. "Do you really want him to grow up without getting to know you?"
Emma stared at her. "Are you sure you really want to play the blame game with me?"
"No." now David was the one answering on Mary Margaret's behalf. We're not interested in arguing with you, Emma."
"Could have fooled me," Emma muttered and took a step backwards. Closer to Regina.
Regina instinctively tightened her grip on Emma's shoulder just a little. Wasn't the slightest bit intimidated when Mary Margaret glared at her. She simply glared right back at her. If they were to have a stare contest, then so be it.
That was not to be. Mary Margaret wisely looked away. But her new 'tactic' wasn't the least bit wise. She glanced at Emma's leather jacket. "You still wear that, I see."
Regina could have rolled her eyes. Mary Margaret wasn't succeeding in insulting Emma's career or choice of partner, so now she was trying to insult her clothes instead? Good god!
"Yes, Mary Margaret. And I'm also still gay," Emma snapped. "What else is new?"
"Emma, there's absolutely no reason to take that tone-"
"Actually, there's every reason to take that tone," Emma interrupted, green eyes blazing dangerously. "I came here because David asked me to and I'm actually trying to be a decent human being. And I refuse to spend the five minutes I'm here arguing with you."
"I'm not trying to argue with you," Mary Margaret defended. "I'm just trying to be your mother!"
"Right. Then maybe you shouldn't have kicked me out when I was teenager. When I was still a kid!" Emma sneered. "Maybe you should have acted like an actual mother and not my keeper and jailer!"
Jailer. Regina tried not to recoil. That word was so, so familiar.
"I gave you everything you ever needed!"
"Except for safety," Emma said simply, and her hands curled into fists. "I literally spend my entire childhood being terrified. Of you."
"How dare you-"
"Mary Margaret!" David said loudly. "That's enough!"
"How can you say that, when our daughter claims to-"
Shut up. Just shut up already! Regina effectively cut her off by coming closer. She folded her arms across her chest as she glared at the despicable woman in the hospital bed. Then she lifted her right hand and brought it up to her mouth. The sign for 'shut up'. Which couldn't be misinterpreted in any way.
But it certainly could be ignored. And that was exactly what Mary Margaret Blanchard chose to do. "To be perfectly honest, I don't quite understand why you are here as well. This is a family meeting."
"Which is exactly why she's here!" Emma sneered.
Mary Margaret looked positively sour at that. "I see. So you are still letting women turning you against us."
"Letting women-" Emma laughed bitterly. "Are you actually kidding me right now?!"
"I've warned you, Emma," Mary Margaret continued, paying no attention to what Emma was saying. "I've warned you about letting women manipulate you!"
"For your information, the only thing Regina has ever done is loving me!" Emma growled.
"By driving a wedge in between you and your parents?!" Mary Margaret hissed. Her voice had turned very high pitched. The sound made Regina's ears hurt.
"You are delusional." Emma shook her head. "That wedge between us is something you created, Mary Margaret."
Mary Margaret switched focus to Regina again. "You are taking my daughter away from me, you manipulating-"
"Don't you dare fucking say anything to her!" Emma yelled. "God, you are... You are toxic!"
"How can you say that?! I am your mother-"
"Mary Margaret, that's enou-"
"I think it's better if we leave," Emma's tight voice cut through David's attempts at smoothening things out. "This was clearly a bad idea."
"No, Emma, please don't leave," David pleaded "At least stay long enough to meet Neal. Please."
"I've promised you five minutes and that's what I've given you."
"I know that princ- Emma. But please, just-"
"No." Emma shook her head. "I think I'm wasting my time. And exposing my girlfriend to Mary Margaret's terrible behavior, which is something I swore I would never ever do. Let's go, Regina." she gently took Regina by the hand and headed for the door.
Regina willingly followed her. She was very tempted to turn around and raise her middle finger at Mary Margaret Blanchard, but she chose not to. Nothing good would come from it anyway.
In the hallway, Regina could clearly hear David and Mary Margaret argue. Judging by it. David was highly upset with his wife.
But Emma paid no mind to it. She cupped Regina's cheeks with hands that trembled slightly. "Babe... Babe, I am so, so, so sorry about that! I should have done this on my own-"
Absolutely not. Regina shook her head firmly and placed a hand on top of Emma's.
"I should have known that she would never change. Heart attack or not," Emma said bitterly, forehead dropping to the top of Regina's shoulder.
Regina began to gently rub Emma's shoulders in soothing motions. It wouldn't be enough to make the horrible experience go away, but hopefully it would help a little bit.
Their moment of tenderness was interrupted by the unmistakable sound of a baby cooing. And footsteps.
Both women looked in the direction where the sounds were coming from, and saw the same thing. A young woman approaching them with a baby in her arms.
"Oh hello," the young woman said perkily and smiled at Emma. "You must be the big sister. Would you like to say hello to Neal?"
"Uhm, sure," Emma said awkwardly and looked like she was about to panic when the babysitter without any further ado spilled the baby into her arms and announced that she would get herself a quick cup of coffee.
"Oh god," Emma said and shot Regina a look of panic when the baby kicked his little feet up.
Regina couldn't help but smile as she looked down at the baby. He was adorable. Blonde haired. Blue eyed. And dressed in an exceptionally cute blue sleeper with sheep's printed all over. God… she just had to reach out and touch him, and she was delighted when the baby grabbed her finger. She remembered when Henry did that. It had been one of the best moments in her life.
"He doesn't deserve this," Emma whispered as she glanced at the blue door Mary Margaret was residing behind. "Mary Margaret will ruin him, Regina. She'll do what she did to him, and-" she ran out of words and shook her head. "He's just a baby, Regina."
Little Neal squirmed in her arms and that seemed to throw Emma off completely. "Oh god, he's squirming, Regina! What do I do?"
Regina tilted her head as she held out her arms in question. She couldn't resist babies.
"Yes. Absolutely." Emma looked immensely relieved when she placed the baby in Regina's arms.
Regina smiled as she looked down at the baby. Hello, little one. It is so nice to meet you. Neal had stopped squirming and was now looking interested up at her with those big blue eyes. Instinctively, Regina began to lightly bounce him up and down in her arms.
"He likes you."
Regina shrugged lightly in response. Babies likes being bounced. Period.
"What do you say we just grab him and run?"
That had Regina's head snapping up, and she wasn't free of feeling slightly alarmed when she looked at Emma.
"That was a joke. At least partially." She went quiet and stared at the blue door again. Regina was sure she knew exactly what Emma was thinking. She was thinking the same. The idea of leaving this sweet, innocent child in the clutches of Mary Margaret Blanchard was horrible. No child deserved the fresh hell Emma had been through.
"That coffee break served me well!" the babysitter said cheerily as she came back. "I better take this little man so he can say hi to his mommy!" she reached out, and Regina unfortunately had no choice but to lay Neal in her arms. However little she wanted to. Everything in her was protesting when she saw the babysitter knock on the door to Mary Margaret's hospital room and disappear inside.
Perhaps it was time they disappeared too. The visit was over. But before Regina could get the chance to gesture to the elevator, the door to Mary Margaret's room was opened again. This time it was David. He looked very tired and rubbed a hand over his face before turning to Emma. "Emma, I'm so sorry about this."
"Probably not half as sorry as I am."
"Emma-"
"No, I get it," cut him off and interlaced her fingers with Regina's once more. "She's your wife. Of course you love her. But let me ask you something... Do you love Neal too?"
"Of course I do," David said quickly.
Almost…. Too quickly.
"Then let him go back to the foster home," Emma pleaded. "Give him the chance to be adopted by another family. Don't let Mary Margaret do to him what she did to me. She'll ruin him. She'll ruin his childhood. You can't take that away from him, please!" her voice had become thick and there were tears in her eyelashes. It broke Regina's heart.
"I've failed you," David whispered, and sadness seemed to take permanent hold behind his eyes.
"Yes," Emma said simply. "And now I'm begging you, don't fail Neal. Send him back to the foster home and let him have his second chance."
David came closer and reached out to her. "Don't disappear Emma, please."
Emma shook her head. "Don't fail Neal. Don't make the same mistake twice." She wobbled, and Regina reacted quickly. Wrapped an arm around her waist and turned her around. Guided her back towards the elevator. She heard David call out to Emma, but none of them reacted to it. They couldn't stay as much as a second longer. Right now, Regina's top priority was to get Emma away from here as quickly as possible.
By the time they made it into the empty elevator, Emma was shaking so much she could barely stand.
Regina reacted in the only way she could. She wrapped her arms around Emma and engulfed her in the tightest, safest of embraces. Stroked Emma's hair and silently told her that it was alright to let go and let her emotions show. She didn't have to be strong right now.
Emma sobbed into her shoulder. Her body trembled and between sobs, she apologized to Regina over and over again for what Mary Margaret had said.
Obviously, Regina wouldn't hear of it. Emma had nothing to apologize for. Absolutely nothing.
"We should have spent the day in bed instead," Emma murmured, and the quip wasn't very convincing. "A hundred percent."
Regina gave a low hum of agreement.
"At least I know that nothing has changed."
Regina rubbed her back again. Kept on doing so as the elevator took them back and forward between all the floors. The doors never opened. Regina didn't know how that even was possible in a hospital, but decided that it had to be some kind of higher power deciding that she and Emma needed a moment to themselves.
After a moment, Emma lifted her head from her shoulder. Her cheeks were stained with tears but her voice slightly more secure as she said: "I don't know about you, but I could really need some pie after this!"
Regina nodded once and pressed a kiss to Emma's forehead. Then another. And another. Several. Then Emma's tear stained cheeks. She did her best to kiss all the tears away.
Emma looked into her eyes. "I don't know what I would have done without you today," she whispered.
Regina shook her head. She wished that she could have done more. That she had been capable of asking Mary Margaret to shut the hell up. To yell at her. Scream in her face.
"They're not my family," Emma murmured. "You are. I love you. So much."
Bursting into tears right now was not an option, even though she wanted to because she was so touched by Emma's words. Regina pulled herself together and took Emma in her arms for the second time. That was the only way she could respond to that beautiful statement. And it was also the best way.
To Be Continued…..