Marco approached the left side of the hospital bed, and reached over to touch Emma's fingers which were sticking out past the end of the sling. August circled around to the other side and lightly put his hand on her shoulder.

"Hello, Cygnet," Marco said quietly.

Killian was standing at the end of the bed, but could barely hear her raspy reply. "Hi, Dad."

"How ya doin', Sis?" asked August.

"I've had...better days," she answered. Her brother chuckled.

Marco asked, "Are you in any pain?"

"Better now. They...gave me meds."

Killian could tell that it was an effort for her to keep her eyes open. Her father noticed also.

"You don't have to stay awake, sweet girl. You need to rest. August and I will only visit a few minutes, then we are going to stay at your house overnight, if that's okay."

Her eyes had drifted shut, but she still spoke to him. "It's a mess."

"We'll clean it up, Em. Don't worry about that," August assured her.

"Killian is here," Marco informed her, gesturing for him to come over.

"Good," Emma breathed. "Where is he?"

"Right here, Love." He went to stand beside Marco and put his hand on the blanket over her knee.

"Hey."

"Hey, Beautiful."

"I tried to fight back. I hit her with...a good right hook."

"Maybe you needed my left hook, too," he quipped.

She started to laugh, then grimaced in pain, moving her right hand to press against her left side.

"I'm sorry, Emma," he apologized, taking her fingers and lightly squeezing them.

"Forgot about the ribs."

"Yeah, laughing and taking deep breaths is gonna be painful for a while," August chipped in. "I remember that from the time I broke a rib when I ran my sled into a tree."

"You were...such a klutz."

All three of the men chuckled softly at the fact that, even while being injured, she could still tease her brother.

August caught Killian's eye and they shared a grin. In the hours that they'd spent waiting to see Emma, the two had struck up a friendship. At first, Killian was tentative because he wondered if August would play the role of the protective older brother. After some starts and stops, their conversation had flowed as easily as it possibly could under the circumstances. They had discovered some likes and dislikes that they shared, and August even had Killian laughing at times when he told stories about younger Emma.

Emma opened her eyes again and focused them on her boyfriend. "Are...are you leaving, too?"

"I'm staying right here," he said firmly. "The doctor said that I'd be able to stay with you through the night, so I'm not going anywhere."

She gave him a weak smile. "Good."

"Mary Margaret and David have been here this whole time, but they stayed in the waiting room so you wouldn't have too many people in here," Marco explained. "They'll be up to see you when August and I leave."

"She should be home resting...not sitting in a hospital."

"You know her better than that, Love. She's going to be here for you no matter what. We called Will and Belle, Ruby, and Ashley to let them know."

"And Claire," August threw in.

"They all send their love, thoughts and prayers," Marco informed her. "You have so many people who care for you, Cygnet."

Emma smiled again. "I know. I'm very lucky."

Killian couldn't help but think of the irony of her statement. Here she was, battered and beaten, laying in a hospital bed, and saying that she was lucky. His heart swelled thinking about how lucky he was to be dating such an amazing woman.

Her eyes had closed again, and Killian saw August and Marco share a knowing look.

August leaned over and brushed his lips over his sister's forehead. "We're gonna take off, Sis. We'll be back tomorrow."

She blinked her eyes open and managed another small smile. "Thanks for coming...Augie Doggie." He sighed in exasperation, but then couldn't help grinning.

She turned her head toward her father, and for the first time, Killian saw a tear leak out of the corner of her eye. "I love you, Dad. I'm glad you came."

"Always, dear girl, always." He kissed her cheek and rubbed his nose against hers affectionately. "I love you, too. Tomorrow will be a better day, eh?"

"Hope so."

Marco gently put his large, work-roughened hand on her forehead and held it there for a few seconds. Killian glanced over to see his eyes closed and his lips moving, and bowed his head until her father finished his prayer.

When he heard Marco move, Killian looked up and met his eyes. "Take care of our girl tonight, my boy," he said softly, reaching over to pat him on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, s-, uh, Marco. I assure you I'll be by her side all night to help her whenever she needs something."

"Get better, Em," August said, pinching her toe on his way past the bed.

"I'll try."

"Do or do not. There is no try," he said, attempting to impersonate Yoda.

"Stupid Star Wars," Emma muttered, making them all chuckle again.

August lightly clapped Killian on the back as he passed, then he and Marco left the room.

Killian moved around to the other side of the bed and pulled the chair closer before sitting down. He lifted her right hand carefully and held it, rubbing his thumb across the back of it. He could feel the gentle pressure of her squeezing his fingers.

They sat quietly until the door opened again, allowing Mary Margaret and David to enter the room.

"Is she asleep?" Mary Margaret whispered.

"No, she's awake," Emma answered, opening her eyes a crack.

"How are you feeling?" her friend asked.

"Pretty sore, but...I'll be okay."

"Just make sure you give yourself time to heal. Don't push it."

"We'll be there to help you with anything you need," David said.

"Absolutely! You can count on us."

"You don't have to worry about work. Ashley said they'll get the schedule worked out. Oh, and Evie is gonna be just fine. She just has some bruises," David reported.

"She...she kicked her into the end table." Emma's eyes filled with tears.

Mary Margaret brushed her hand over the top of Emma's head. "I'm sorry, Emma. I know that had to be hard to watch. We're just so glad that you're both going to be okay."

David nodded. "That's the important thing. Listen, we're gonna leave now. We just wanted to stop in to let you know we're here for you and we love you. We'll call Killian tomorrow to see how you're doing."

"Sounds good. Thanks."

They each gave her a quick kiss, waved to Killian, and slipped out the door.

After watching them leave, Killian's eyes moved back to the beautiful woman in the bed. He hadn't yet stopped caressing her hand.

"Is there anything I can get you, Sweetheart?"

"A little water, maybe?"

He checked around the room and saw a plastic pitcher and cup sitting on a tray. He lifted her hand to his mouth for a tender kiss before placing it back down on the blanket, then made his way around the bed to pour some water into the cup. Unwrapping the straw laying nearby, he bent it and stuck it in the water.

"Do you need to sit up a little more so you can take a drink?" he asked.

"Yeah, probably."

He found the bed controls on the handrail and pressed the button. He let it elevate to what looked like a comfortable level, then held the straw to her mouth. She took a few sips, and licked her lips, which seemed to be very dry.

He set the cup back on the tray and searched in the plastic bag of personal care supplies until he found a tube of chapstick. He held it up to her and she nodded slightly. He popped the cap off with his thumb, then carefully applied some to both lips.

"Do you want the bed lowered again?"

"Just a little. Not as much as before."

He did as she asked, then went back and sat down.

"What else do you need, Love?"

She had closed her eyes, and when she didn't answer right away, he assumed that she'd dozed off.

Then she whispered, "Where is she?"

"Who? Evie?"

Emma slowly moved her head from side to side. "No. Her," she said in a small, broken voice.

Killian blinked back tears. This strong, brilliant, full-of-life woman was now injured and fearful because of a vicious, spiteful person. It nearly caused his heart to break.

"She's in jail. Will was somehow able to find out that she'll be arraigned tomorrow on several charges, including attempted murder. She won't be able to hurt you again, Emma. Trust me."

"I do trust you," she said, without hesitation.

And with those four words, his heart went from almost broken with sadness, to practically bursting from a completely different emotion.

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When August pulled the car up in front of his sister's house, they saw that the bright yellow police tape was still stretched across the door. Tears sprang to Marco's eyes at the stark reminder of what had happened to his daughter.

"Do you think we are permitted to go in?" he asked.

"I don't know, but I'll see if I can find out," August answered, pulling out his phone to Google the number of the local police department.

While his son was making inquiries, Marco looked around the quiet neighborhood. When Emma was looking for a place to rent, she'd asked him to come along with her to look at some prospects. They'd looked mostly at apartments, but when they came to this little house, Emma had known right away that it was the one. She loved the location, especially the fact that it was close to her college roommate, and that she wouldn't have neighbors above or below her. Marco had appreciated the fact that it was in a safe neighborhood.

He sighed. He knew it was still safe, and that the events of the day weren't due to some random criminal, but because of a vengeful woman.

He noticed Emma's neighbor watering flowers in her front yard. Unfastening his seat belt, he opened the car door and followed the sidewalk until he stood in front of her house.

"Excuse me," he said pleasantly. "Are you Gwen King?"

She stopped what she was doing and turned around, hesitating for just a second before she answered, "Yes, I am."

"I'm Marco Swan, Emma's father," he said, taking a step closer.

Gwen set down her watering can and walked through the yard to greet him. "It's nice to meet you! How is she?"

"She has several injuries - a separated shoulder, cracked ribs, she needed stitches for two deep gashes, and she has a concussion."

"Did the doctor say if she'll be able to fully recover?" Gwen asked, with a worried tone to her voice.

"He is most concerned about the concussion as it's hard to predict what symptoms will show up, and how long they will last. She was able to talk to us before we left, but she was very drowsy, because they had given her some medicine for the pain."

"Well, she'll certainly be in our thoughts and prayers. I hope she can come home soon."

Marco nodded. "As do I. Mrs. King, I wanted to thank you. I'm told it's because of your call to the authorities that my Emma's life was saved. I can never, ever repay you for that."

"No thanks are necessary, Mr. Swan. I'm just glad that the police got here so quickly. I was so afraid that they would be too, um, that they wouldn't...get here in time. Arthur, Lance and I think the world of Emma, and Evie."

"Yes, poor little Evie. She was hurt too, but the vet said she only has some bruises. I will let you get back to your work. I only wanted to let you know how much we appreciate what you did today."

"We'll be here for Emma when she gets home. Please be sure to tell her that."

"I will. Have a good evening."

"You, too."

August was leaning against the side of the car when Marco made his way back.

"They said that they've finished gathering evidence from the house, and they're gonna send an officer over to take down the tape. I think they want to make sure that we have a valid reason for being here."

"How long will it take for him to get here?"

"They said there's one patrolling the area, so not very long."

Within three minutes, a cruiser pulled up and a female officer climbed out.

"Good evening," Marco greeted. "I'm the father of Emma Swan, who lives here. This is her brother."

She shook both their hands. "I'm Officer Fa. They probably told you the scene has been cleared. I'm not sure why they didn't take the tape down."

"Tis no problem. It's more of an inconvenience for you than it is for us," Marco told her.

She smiled at him, then proceeded to the door, pulling the yellow strips off as soon as she reached it.

"Do you have a key to get in?" she asked. "I'm sure the other officers locked it when they left."

"Right...here," August replied, digging into the front pocket of his jeans and holding it up. "I'm glad I remembered to grab it before we left."

"Looks like you're in business then. Take care." The officer turned on her heel and headed back to her car.

"Thank you!" Marco called after her.

August unlocked the door and swung it open. Stepping across the threshold, his toe kicked a piece of glass across the tile entryway. Looking down, he swallowed when he saw the dried blood that had been tracked across the floor by several pairs of shoes. He scanned the room and let out a low whistle.

Marco pushed in beside his son to also survey the damage. There was a gash in the wall beside the door, obviously made by the picture that lay twisted and broken below it. The glass from the picture was scattered and crushed on the floor. A metal coat rack lay across the entrance to the hallway, and they could see that it was slightly bent. A table beside Emma's couch was overturned, with magazines and books scattered across the floor.

The carpet had several visible blood stains on it. Marco followed the trail toward the kitchen, while August went straight ahead, through the living room.

When Marco got to the doorway between the kitchen and the living room, he could see a large bloodstain where he assumed Emma had fallen when she'd been pushed into the wall and knocked unconscious. He covered his mouth with his hand, and tears trickled down his cheeks as he imagined the scene. He carefully sidestepped the stain to enter the kitchen.

The doctor had said the lacerations were made with a large butcher knife. Marco noticed that the butcher block he'd made for his daughter to hold her sharp knives was missing. He figured it had been taken as evidence.

August entered from the other end of the kitchen where it joined with the small dining area. He was holding a picture of Emma and Killian. The glass was cracked and the frame was dented as though someone had stomped on it with the heel of their foot.

"Evie's gonna need a new bed. She made a mess in hers, probably out of pain and fear," he reported.

Marco explained his findings. "I can make a new butcher block for her, but she's going to need a new set of knives. I can also make a wooden hall tree for her to take the place of that coat rack."

"I took a quick look through the rest of the house, and nothing else seems to be out of place. I think everything happened in the living room and kitchen." They were both quiet for several moments, thinking about what Emma must have gone through earlier that day.

Finally, August cleared his throat. "I think it would be better if we stay at a hotel tonight. With everything that happened at this house today, I'm just not comfortable staying here. If that's okay with you, I'll get a reservation made."

Marco nodded his agreement. "Yes, that's a good idea, I think." He started going through the cupboards in the kitchen to find cleaning supplies, while his son went into the other room to check the internet for a local hotel.

August re-entered the kitchen a few minutes later. "I found a place and we're all set. What can we do before we leave here tonight?"

"We should at least attempt to clean the carpet the best we can, sweep up the glass, and throw most of the damaged things away so Emma won't have to see them when she gets home. There may be some things that she wants to repair and keep, so we can put those in a box. Perhaps tomorrow, we can get her a new set of knives, a bed for Evie, and a frame for that picture." He pointed to the one August was still holding.

"When we get to the hotel, I'll look up a store where we can go tomorrow to buy everything. We can stop there on the way back from the hospital."

August opened the pantry door and found a broom and dustpan. He handed them to his father.

"You can start sweeping up the glass in the foyer, and I'll see what I can do with the carpet. Emma told me she bought a carpet cleaning machine when she was trying to housebreak Evie. I think it's probably in the hall closet."

With their plan in place, they began the grim task of cleaning up the scene of the crime.

xxxxxxxxx

Killian would have sat in the chair by her hospital bed all night, but Emma wouldn't allow it.

"The chair in the corner is more comfortable and has a footstool...so you can stretch out," she insisted. "All I'm going to be doing is sleeping anyway."

He didn't want to upset her by arguing, so he conceded. She didn't need to know that he never truly went to sleep at all, but watched over her throughout the night. If she began to whimper or toss restlessly, he was instantly at her side, stroking her hand and whispering soothing words into her ear until she slept peacefully again.

The nurse came in every couple of hours to make sure Emma was able to be woken up, which was a standard thing to do for someone with a concussion, he was told. She was asked to answer questions such as her name, birthdate, address and occupation, and the nurse checked the pupils of her eyes. Every other time she came in, she would also take Emma's vital signs. Each time, when the nurse left the room, Killian would sit beside her until her breathing evened out, then he would go back to the more comfortable chair.

Besides making sure that Emma was able to sleep, there was another reason why Killian stayed awake. He knew that if he slept, he would have nightmares. They had gotten less frequent as the months went on since the IED explosion, but they still happened on occasion, especially when there was a triggering event sometime during the day. He was sure what had happened to Emma would cause him to wake up screaming and in a cold sweat, so he fought off the sleep his body craved after such an exhausting day.

xxxxxxxxx

At 7:30 AM, Emma's eyes blinked open and she took a quick inventory of how her body felt. She was still achy and sore, which was to be expected, but the headache had lessened a bit, and she didn't feel nauseous anymore. She turned her head to the right, and wasn't surprised to see Killian sitting beside her.

"Good morning, Love."

"Hi." Her finger found the button to raise the head of the bed, and she pushed it until she was more upright.

"How do you feel this morning?"

"Better. My head isn't hurting quite as much, but I still feel a little bit like I just got off the Tilt-a-Whirl."

He smiled softly. "I'm glad to hear there's improvement, at least. I'm sure the doctor will be in soon to see you. In the meantime, is there anything I can get for you?"

"I really need…"

"Good morning!" a pleasant voice greeted quietly. Emma and Killian looked towards the door to see a nurse entering. "I was hoping you'd be awake. How are you feeling?"

"I was just telling Killian that I really need to go to the bathroom."

"I'll help you with that. You'll have to take your IV stand along. Can you slowly swing your legs over the edge of the bed?"

Emma did as she was told. She started to push herself up to a standing position, but the nurse held up her hand to stop her.

"Give it a minute or two. You have a concussion and you've been lying down for hours. Suddenly being upright can throw off your equilibrium. How does your head feel?"

"A little less fuzzy than yesterday."

The nurse took out a penlight and checked her pupils. As she put it back in her pocket, she once again asked Emma some of the questions that she'd been asked several times during the night. She patiently answered each one.

"Okay, do you feel like you can try standing up now?"

"Yeah." Emma braced her right arm on the bed to push herself up. The nurse touched Killian on the arm and gestured for him to go to Emma's other side. He placed his hand in the middle of her back to gently support her as she stood.

Once she was on her feet, they gave her a few moments to adjust, then walked along on each side of her as she shuffled to the bathroom. The nurse went in with her and Killian waited outside the door.

Emma was more steady when she crossed the room to go back to bed. The nurse took out her IV and a breakfast tray was brought in. Emma hadn't realized how hungry she was until she smelled the eggs on her plate. It was a bland breakfast, but it tasted good to her all the same. She convinced Killian to go down to the cafeteria to get some food for himself, which he brought back to the room so they could eat together.

Dr. Whale was off duty, so another doctor came in to check on her about an hour later. By that time, she was getting antsy, and the first question she asked him was when she could go home.

"I'll be better able to answer that after I've had a chance to examine you," he responded. "There's a concussion test which I need you to take. We don't have baseline data from before your injury, so we'll just have to check you every week to see if your numbers are improving." He asked her numerous questions, and recorded all her answers and how long it took for her to answer them on the portable laptop.

After that, he had her rate her current pain on a scale of one to ten. She thought carefully, pressing lightly on her ribs which were wrapped, and trying to lift her shoulder. She finally settled on a six.

"Looks like you were giving it an eight last night, so you're making some progress," the doctor commented. "A good night's sleep can work wonders."

"I wouldn't say I got good sleep when somebody was in here every five minutes waking me up," she grumbled.

Both Killian and the doctor laughed. "It was more like every two hours, Swan," Killian corrected her, but he was very happy to hear her sounding more like herself.

"I'm going to open the blinds slightly to see how you deal with a little more light," the doctor told her, moving toward the window. He twisted the stick to angle the vertical blinds, which immediately brightened up the room a bit. Turning back to Emma, he asked, "How's that?"

"Good. It doesn't bother me."

"Excellent." He addressed Killian. "If you're planning on being here for a while, keep opening those a little at a time and see how she adjusts. If it starts to bother her or makes her headache worse, close them again."

"Got it," Killian replied.

The doctor continued, "Before we release you, someone will be coming in to go over all of your care instructions for when you are at home. It would be good if the person who will be staying with you most of the time can listen to them, as well."

"That'll be me," Killian informed him.

Emma looked at him with her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open. He just gave her a nod, and turned his attention back to the doctor.

"I'm not going to sign the release papers yet. I'd like to give you a little more time to be sure the headache doesn't get worse, and that you feel steady on your feet. If you feel up to it, you can take some short walks in the hallway. I'll check back at the end of my rounds, which will be in about two hours."

Killian could tell that Emma wasn't pleased with that, but he knew that she probably understood the reasons.

After the doctor left, Killian checked his phone. He had messages from David and August.

"Your brother left a message that he and your dad will be here around ten o'clock."

"When did you get my brother's number?"

"Yesterday when we were in the waiting room together for 85 hours."

"That's a bit of an exaggeration."

"That's what it felt like. Longest day of my life."

Despite the reason for it being such a long day, Emma couldn't help but have a warm feeling about his concern for her.

"So you got a chance to talk to my dad and brother, huh?"

"Aye, we got to know each other a bit. I wish I could have met them under different circumstances, and that you were there as well."

"Me too."

"David is asking for an update. I'm going to give him a call. It's easier than trying to text everything."

He went over to the chair in the corner and Emma could hear him talking quietly before she dozed off.

When he finished the call, he sat back down in the chair beside her bed. She awoke about fifteen minutes later.

"Sorry, I'm still kind of sleepy."

"According to what I've been reading about concussions, that's to be expected, Sweetheart."

"I'd like to take a walk like the doctor said."

He got up to move to the other side of the bed. "Okay, but take it slow. Sit up for a while first."

She swung her legs around to dangle over the edge. He sat down beside her.

"Killian?"

"Yes, Love?"

"What did you mean when you told the doctor that you would be the one who's staying with me most of the time?"

He did his tell-tale scratch behind his ear and neck rub, while his cheeks reddened. "I'm sorry that I made an assumption without asking you first, but Dr. Whale told us last night that you're going to need someone with you for several days or even weeks. I want to be that person, if you're okay with it."

"You mean, stay at my house?"

"Just temporarily, until you recover. I can sleep in the extra bedroom or on the couch. But if you'd rather have Mary Margaret or Ruby or…"

She reached over and grasped his prosthetic hook. "I'd be happy to have you there, Killian. I just don't want you to feel obligated out of some sense of…"

"That's not it at all!" he said firmly, knowing what she was going to say. "I want to be there to make sure your recovery is going well, and that you have everything you need. I'm sure that every minute I can't be with you, I'll be wondering how you're doing. But the biggest reason I want to be there is that I…" he stopped abruptly.

Emma locked eyes with him. "That you what, Killian?"

He paused, wondering if she was ready to hear the next words out of his mouth. "That I love you. I've fallen in love with you, Emma."

xxxxxxxxx