Emma in the middle- part 10
CSlove asked for a oneshot of a continuation of the Emma in the middle series (the last being Ch2580). Another prequel. This time, Snow helping Emma whilst she has a fever. Emma asks for Eleanor. When the fever breaks, Emma and Snow have a heart to heart. Emma asks her mother to stay with her.
Snow knocked on the door before entering. The two servants who had been tending to Emma stopped and bowed.
"How is she?" Snow asked, coming into the room.
"Not good, Your Highness. She's very hot to the touch and seems rather delusional." The maid explained. Snow frowned. Neither she nor Charming had realised Emma was this sick. They had heard she was ill the previous night when she never showed up for supper. A maid explained that Emma had been ill all day, vomiting and with a sky high temperature. Snow had to make sure Marali was prepared for her first time hosting a royal meeting the next day, and Charming was going on a long journey with Neal for a jousting tournament. It was only now in the early afternoon Snow had the opportunity to go and check her youngest daughter. Snow took the wet rag off of the maid.
"I'll tend to her now." Snow said with a smile. The maid bowed before she and her colleague left the room to give the mother and daughter some time together. Snow sat on the edge of the thirteen-year-old's bed and pressed the rag to her forehead. Emma was so rarely sick. Snow couldn't remember the last time she'd had to attend to a sick Emma.
"I'm here." Snow whispered. "It's ok."
"Eleanor?" Emma whimpered, not even opening her eyes. She just looked so poorly.
"No, sweetheart, not Eleanor." Snow told her, stroking her thumb down Emma's cheek. Emma moaned.
"Please." She whimpered. In her fevered state, she didn't recognise her mother's voice. "I want Eleanor." Snow couldn't deny feeling like she'd just been stabbed in the heart. Her child was sick, and she was asking for someone else. Snow had to swallow her own hurt just now though. She had to put Emma first.
"Ok baby." Snow said, her voice only cracking slightly. "I'll go find her." Snow left the room, eyes watering slightly. She eventually found Eleanor helping set up for dinner.
"I'm so sorry to disturb things Eleanor, but do you know about Emma?" The maid nodded. Snow wasn't to know, but Eleanor couldn't very well leave the young princess alone when she was so sick. Eleanor had stayed with her through the night.
"How is she?"
"She's still not well. I was attending to her and…well, she asked for you." Snow said. She smiled, but Eleanor saw right through the smile. She felt mortified. She never meant to cause a wedge between Emma and her parents.
"Oh." She said simply. "I'm sure she just thinks it's supper time. She seems a little unaware of what's happening." Eleanor tried to reason. Snow smiled politely, but she didn't think that was the case. She knew Emma just wanted Eleanor. She just didn't understand why. What had she done wrong?
Eleanor made her way back up to Emma's bedroom and resumed her position by her bedside. It wasn't until early the next morning after Emma's fever had broken that she was more aware of what was going on. Eleanor decided that Emma should probably mend bridges with her mother pretty quickly.
"Your mother came and fetched me yesterday." Eleanor told Emma. "She said she had been attending to you, but you were asking for me."
"Oh." Emma responded. It sounded like the sort of thing she would say. She didn't really remember saying it, but it made sense. Eleanor was the person who always looked after her when she was sick. Her parents were always too busy. Of course she wanted Eleanor.
"I think you upset her." Eleanor explained gently. Emma just shrugged.
"Serves her right." She grumbled. "Of course I wanted you. When has she ever cared when I was sick before?"
"Emma." Eleanor chastised her gently. "Your mother has always cared. It's not easy being both a ruler and a mother…"
"She makes it pretty easy for Marali and Neal." Emma spat bitterly. Eleanor made Emma look at her.
"You're only seeing it from your point of view." She reminded her. "Marali and Neal may feel just the same." Emma snorted. Eleanor gave her a disapproving look. "She was really hurt, but I know you didn't mean it. She doesn't know that though." Eleanor left the thought hanging. Emma sighed, thumping her head back against the pillows.
"Fine." She sighed dramatically. "Can you go get here please?" Eleanor smiled, patting the princess' head affectionately.
"Good choice." She praised her as she went to find the queen.
Eleanor found Snow talking with some decorators over plans to upgrade the look of the ballroom for upcoming events.
"I am so sorry to disturb, Your Majesty, but the young princess is feeling better. Her fever has broken and she is more aware of what's going on. She's asked me to find you." Eleanor explained with a small curtsy. Snow smiled, coming closer to the maid.
"Eleanor, you don't need to placate my feelings. I know Emma didn't ask for me." Snow said gently.
"No, she has, Your Majesty." Eleanor said honestly. "She sent me specifically to find you." Snow seemed slightly surprised.
"I'm sorry," she said, turning to the decorators, "but this will have to be postponed. My daughter is ill and requires my attention." The decorators left without a fuss. Snow quickly made her way up to Emma's quarters. She smiled at the little girl.
"Eleanor said you asked for me?" Snow asked, almost as though she was worried it wouldn't be true. Emma nodded awkwardly. She always felt slightly awkward around her parents. Snow came in and pressed her hand against Emma's forehead. "Yes, you do seem cooler." She stated.
"I'm sorry if I upset you." Emma said quietly. "I didn't know that it was you. I thought it was one of the other maids." Snow sighed. She knew Eleanor must have said something.
"Don't be. It's quite alright." Snow said, placing some stray hair behind Emma's ear. "Are you feeling better?" As if on cue, Emma began to retch. Snow quickly picked up the pale beside Emma's bed and held it to her mouth, holding her hair back until she was done. "Apparently not." Snow surmised. Emma nodded, feeling weak. Her temperature might be down, but she still didn't feel good. Emma knew Eleanor was telling her to make the first move. She didn't often get one-on-one time with either of her parents, this was her chance.
"Will you stay?" Emma asked. She suspected the answer would be no. Her parents were busy people, after all. True, Snow did have several important things she should be attending to, but they could wait. This couldn't.
"Of course." Snow promised. She lay on the bed beside Emma, placing her arm around her. Emma rested her head awkwardly on her mom's shoulder. She didn't know if she liked this or not. But she understood what Eleanor was telling her without having to say so many words. She owed it to her mother to give it a try.
