Authors note: well this chapter took forever to complete. I've already started on the next, so hopefully it wouldn't take another 4 months. Let me know if you guys are even still interested in this story.
All mistakes are my own and I do not own any of the characters.
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Regina's body shook with quiet sobs. David left her alone in a hospital room. She was so confused. Hours ago she was happily married to David and now he acted as if they barely even knew each other. How could he forget the long passion filled nights and happy loved filled days they shared? She did not notice as Doctor Whale and the meek nurse from before entered the room, a clipboard pressed to his side.
"Ms. Mills, I just spoke with the sheriff and it seems like you are having a hard time deciphering what is real and not." He spoke to her in an even tone. She looked up at him while wiping her eyes.
"No you idiot, I know what's real. You all seem to have forgotten." She clipped back.
Whale merely exhaled deeply through his nostrils before bringing the clipboard from his side and jotting down something. He looked over to his companion saying something inaudible into her ear before she quickly exited the room.
"I can understand your distress," he started, "I want to assure you, we will do everything within our power to help with any memory confusion." He rounded the bed, checking the heart monitor and IVs hooked to her. He noted the fluid levels on his clipboard before removing his pen light. He leaned over Regina flashing the light into her eyes. Regina blinked into the light, but remained still during the examination. The sooner she got a clean bill of health the sooner she could leave this horrible hospital.
"You have a slight concussion from the fall, but it seems like there are no lasting effects Ms. Mills" Whale stated placing his light back into his breast pocket. "Because of the concussion we'll have to hold you overnight for observation."
"I don't think you understand Whale. This isn't right. Whatever this is, it isn't my life." Regina began, slowly her voice elevated in volume, "This isn't right. I want you out and I want my husband back in here you incompetent idiot."
Whale, on his part, merely looked at Regina. He remained ever calm, allowing Regina to yell at him. The meek nurse returned soon after Regina said her piece. She carried a syringe with a clear liquid, handing it to Whale.
"I completely understand your confusion Regina. You took a large fall today, this sort of confusion is very common after losing consciousness." He stated approaching the IV bag the mayor was connected to.
"I'm going to give you something to relax you. You may experience some drowsiness." Stated the professional man. Quickly the syringe connected with the IV bag, the liquid inside fusing with the saline before Regina could protest. The drugs took affect faster than what was normal. Saline laced with drugs seeped into her veins, invading her system. Regina tired to fight the effects, fear mingled with determination coursed through her body. Beeps chirped loudly as the heart monitor indicated her distress.The battle for consciousness was waged and it was becoming alarmingly clear that it was a war Regina was quickly losing. Darkness creeped closer. The edges of her vision began to blur and darken as she slipped into a dreamless sleep.
Some time later the bright lights caused Regina to stir. Beneath her no longer felt like the uncomfortable hospital bed. It was cold and hard. She turned onto her side to block the light, but collided with a wooden frame. Confusion clouded her mind as she opened her eyes to the scene before her. David hovered over her body speaking into a phone as Granny rounded the front counter of the dinner carrying a towel. Disorientation overwhelmed Regina as she laid on the unforgiving ground. Images of David in his sheriff uniform at the hospital flashed in her mind. In a matter of moments large tears rolled down the corner of her brown eyes.
David looked down to see his wife awake. He quickly concluded his call assured that the ambulance would arrive shortly. Regina looked wildly around, confusion written across her face, tears streaming down her rounded cheeks.
"Babe are you fine?" He asked in frightened voice. She simply shook her head in response, using shaky elbows to prop her body up.
'Regina you shouldn't move, the ambulance will be here soon." He gently placed his warm hands on her body, slightly stopping her moments.
Nothing made sense anymore. It felt like moments before David was cold and withdrawn, now he looked at her with love filled eyes. Slightly leaning into his touch, the touch that usually stopped any wild thoughts in her mind only caused further confusion. Regina shifted away from his familiarity, away from the confusion written across the faces looking at her until she backed into the wooden booth to her side. She needed a moment to readjust and think. All she needed was a second to breathe. To gathering her bearings.
David furrowed his brows at Regina's odd reaction and movement. The sheriff looked to the elderly women standing above them. A moment of silent communication passed before the older woman shrugged her shoulders in a perplexed response. Long moments passed as the two concerned individuals stared at Regina, each afraid to make any sudden motions until finally Regina Inhaled deeply and found her voice.
"David?" It sounded shaky to her ears, "You remember me?" The longer she looked, truly looked, at the David in front of her the more she was sure this was her husband. The man that joked nonstop and loved her fiercely, but that didn't explain what she experienced. It all had felt so real. It had to be real, yet here she was on the dinner floor. With the people she knew and the normalcy of her daily life before the headache that caused her to blackout in the first place. Disorientation could not begin to the explain what Regina felt.
Her husband stared at her for a moment, cocking his head to the side. "Of course I do. I think you might have hit your head during the fall maybe you should lie down until the EMTs get here."
"I didn't hit my head David,' she quickly responded, but hesitated, "Or maybe I did. I don't really know what's going on anymore." Maybe she did hit her head and that hit was hard enough to create a very lucid dream. For all Regina knew, she was still dreaming. She placed her small hands on the ground, clutching the cold linoleum tiles as if her life depended on it. Taking deep breathes to ground herself in the moment. Her husband and dear friend stared at her. Blue spheres met with chocolate ones, in that moment Regina was sure this was actually happening.
The mayor heard the sounds of distant sirens, and indication that the ambulance would soon arrive. She sat mulling over the all too real dream. It had to be a dream, that was the only that could explain the current situation. The sirens were loud now, the bell over the door jingled as two EMTs walked into the dinner. They quickly assessed the location and correctly walked towards Regina,
"Madam Mayor" the younger of the two women said, " Can you tell me what happened?" The other women began gathering supplies from her bag as she came to Regina's other side, quickly scanning her for any open cuts. Finding none, she took her blood pressure. 115/70 was the number she said to her fellow EMT.
"My head began aching and I think I passed out," Regina responded, "But I can't be entirely sure."
The two women spoke to each other before addressing the mayor and sheriff. "Your blood pressure is low Mrs. Mills-Nolan so we'll need to take you to get checked out at the hospital . Can you get up?" David was instantly helping her to her feet. Slightly unbalanced, Regina stood for the two ambulance drivers. Both women watched her with intent, watching for any signs of a reoccurring blackout. When Regina showed no initial signs, they proceeded. The ambulance drivers lead Regina out the door to a small group of bystanders who were huddling around the street near the entrance of Granny's. Regina scowled at the attention as she was placed on a waiting gurney. What a damn spectacle this was turning into. She diverted her eyes from the looks of curiosity as the metal gurney was loaded into the back of the small Storybrooke ambulance.
"I'll follow you in the truck," David announced quickly grabbing his keys, giving Regina one last reassuring looks before hurrying off in the direction of the beat up truck. Metal doors closed leaving Regina alone with the sound of a roaring engine and sirens. The drive Storybrooke General was a short one, everything in this town was a short drive. One of the perks of living in a small Maine town Regina thought. She worried her bottom lip as she pulled imaginary lint from the bottom of her blouse. Worry and confusion ate away at Regina. Something felt wrong, she just couldn't put her finger on what exactly.
It wasn't long before the mayor was ushered to a quite exam room with her ever worried husband by her side. Whale ordered pathology on her blood when she arrived. The process had been quick, but waiting was nothing short of bothersome for Regina. She wanted to know why she her dream was so lucid and she wanted to know now.
David grabbed Reginas hand engulfing her olive skin in his. He gave it a gentle squeeze of assurance. Regina merely stared at him. This was all too confusing to wrap her mind around, but she wouldn't reject the sheriff's comfort as she did at Granny's.
"It's going to be ok babe, we'll figure this out together." David lifted Reginas hand up to his lips giving her hand a small peek. Their attention was drawn to the door opening announcing the new presence of Doctor Whale. He walked in with a click board pressed to his side and the same meek nurse from Regina's dream. Everything down to the stance was eerily similar giving Regina as sense of déjà vu. Every muscle in the mayors body tensed in anticipation and dread. Another reassuring squeeze came for David.
Whale lifted his clip board looking through some papers before announcing, "I have your blood results back."