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Marian exited the cab and handed the man a few bills before gathering her bag and putting it over her shoulder. As she entered through the revolving door of the hospital, she spotted an information desk tucked in the corner. "Excuse me?"

A woman in white scrubs the age of her grandmother turned, "Yes, may I help you?"

"Yes, I'm looking for my husband who was brought in recently. Robin Locksley?"

The woman sat and clicked on her computer and moved her mouse until she looked up, "Yes, ma'am. He's on the fourth floor. You'll take the elevator up and check-in at the front desk. They'll ask for ID before they let you see him."

Marian thanked the woman and made her way up. The entire elevator ride, she held her breath. What would he say to her? Hearing he'd been attacked scared her so deeply, she'd dropped everything to come home.

When the doors slid open, there was a long desk. Behind it several medical professionals were on computers, writing in charts, or hustling in and out of rooms with trays, and medical equipment. The sounds were unnerving. The lights were too bright. It smelled of staleness and alcohol.

She stepped up to the desk, a woman was seated at a computer. "I'm looking for Robin Locksley, I'm his wife."

The woman looked up at her, "Mrs. Locksley, I'm afraid he's being interviewed at the moment, but you can wait."

"Interviewed?"

"By the police. They've had him back there only twenty minutes. It might be awhile. We have a cafeteria," she supplied.

Marian frowned, "No, I…" Her head turned and she caught two officers through the curtain of the room behind her. "Is that his room?"

"Yes, but you can't go in there." The woman stood as if to stop her if she decided to.

Marian glanced behind her and mumbled, "I'm sorry," before making her move and stepping into the door. She stopped at the entrance when she heard Robin's voice. It was rough and sounded like it was painful to speak.

"I agreed to keep Henry when she left. I didn't know where she was going. She didn't tell me."

An officer had a leg bent and rested on a chair, his elbow was keeping him upright. "You didn't ask?"

"I asked, she didn't tell me," he repeated.

The nurse behind her whispered, "You can't be in here."

Marian turned, "I won't go in, please. Let me stand here." The woman opened her mouth to protest but her beeper went off and she was out of the room in flash.

Marian leaned against the doorframe hoping they wouldn't notice her presence.

Another officer, she could only see his feet but recognized the voice, asked, "Robin, I hate to pry but how well did you know this woman?"

Marian held her breath.

"We were…" A long pause echoed until he said, "You could say we were involved."

It stung to hear he'd moved on even though she'd left him. But so quickly? Oh, who was she kidding? She'd done that before she'd left.

"What were you thinking getting involved with a woman like that?"

Robin said, "I didn't know who she was until recently. I didn't have time to process it before she'd gone." He coughed and wheezed.

"That's enough, Geoff. Give him a break."

"Alright, Robin. We'll be back to talk some more. Put that oxygen mask back on and get some rest."

The two officers moved around the corner and came face to face with Marian. "I…"

"Robin, it looks like you have a visitor," Jerry said bitterly. He looked at her with disgust and the officers left down the hall.

Marian put her bags down and walked around the curtain and gasped at what she saw. "Robin…"

His eyes were bloodshot red, there was swelling and puffiness around his right eye. The side of his face was bandaged. His hands and feet were bandaged. Tears filled her eyes. "When they called and told me that you'd been attacked…I dropped everything and took the first flight out. What happened?"

The mask on his face covered most of the damage he'd sustained. He looked like a clay molding Roland would've made. His face was badly damaged. Through the mask, he asked, "What are you doing here?" He was wheezing and his voice was raw.

"I know that we parted on bad terms, but I still care about you. I thought…"

"I'm fine," he lied. It pained him to look at her with tear-filled eyes. All his anger was centered on what she'd done to him. She'd destroyed him and she dared come in her looking vulnerable and worried. It irritated him. It irritated him more that he wanted to reach out and soothe.

Marian took a step toward the bed and looked over his body to see what was damaged and where. She pressed her fingertips to his foot, she knew it was broken. They'd told her each injury and break. It would take weeks for him to heal. Longer to walk without assistance.

"Robin, I'm so sorry for everything," her chin trembled as she met his eyes. "I never meant to hurt you."

He was tired, too tired to hash this out, and in too much pain to deal with the emotional turmoil she'd brought into the room. "I need to sleep," he said evenly. It was the truth, but he also needed her to leave.

Ignoring her protest, he pushed the red call button on the bed. A few moments later, a nurse came in. "Oh, I didn't realize you had company. What can I do you for, sugar?"

Robin wheezed, "I need to sleep."

The nurse nodded, "I'll be right back."

Marian pleaded, "Robin, can we talk when you wake up? I think we need to talk."

"I'm tired," he said simply. The nurse came in and put some meds in his IV and out he went faster than she could process.

"He'll be out for a couple of hours. There's a cafeteria on the ground level or a food court just outside. You have a nice day now," she said as she deposited the needle in a box and walked out.

Marian felt defeated and looked at a sleeping Robin before leaving the room and walking down the hall to escape the fear that had slipped into her when he'd looked at her with empty bloody eyes.

Cloudy and in pain, Regina took slow breaths in and out of her nose. Her hands were bound to the table and she was essentially trapped. There was little movement she could make. Simon stood off to the side with his back to her whistling to himself like he was enjoying a day in the woods.

It sickened her and scared her to see how in control he was. Her eyes were clear, but her head was groggy. She'd realized she'd been hit over the head because her hair was dried to her scalp by blood. There was a dull ache on the left side of her head. If she concentrated hard, she could hear tools being scraped together.

The chain from the light above her had creaked back and forth, but it was still now. The silence of the room helped to calm her. Simon wanted her to fight, to scream, so he'd enjoy it more. Well, he was sorely mistaken. She was going to try as hard as she could not to make a sound. To let him do whatever monstrous and disgusting things to her.

When her breathing was calm, he glanced over his shoulder at her, but she refused to meet his eyes. He smiled, "You look so pretty lying there like that, Sabrina. But you're wearing too many clothes."

She swallowed the bile rising in her throat. He put his tools down and moved to her. He reached down and untied her shoes, slowly. He focused on his task so intently watching the strings separately. When they were both untied, he slipped one off and then the other. He put her shoes in a container and closed the lid.

Next came her socks, she felt the chill from the room and involuntarily shivered. "I keep it cold down here. You'll have to adjust." Their eyes met when the next sock came off and tossed them into another container. She hoped when he took off her pants, he'd untie her ankles.

It would be satisfying to kick him, even once. But he pulled out a long pair of metal scissors and opened and closed them to taunt her. He hooked them under one pant leg and began the slow torturous task of cutting up toward her knee. He seemed to enjoy how slow he went from calf to knee, from knee to hip. The second leg he took longer and went slower until he reached her hip.

Regina began to shiver more as the cold engulfed her. It felt like a freezer box in here, she thought. Simon used the scissors to cut between her legs and pulled the fabric from her body. The table was cold only making it worse. Her skin broke out in goosebumps. "So, tell me…" he began. He cascaded the cold metal up and down her thighs, "Was he a better lover than I am?"

Her eyes darted to his and saw the rage, but she didn't answer. "Did he make you peak?" She tried to ignore his words and focus on something else. Anything else. "How many times?"

He cut the lace covering her and ripped it from her. The tremors in her body took over and she couldn't help but let tears fall.

"Don't you worry, when I'm done with you, you won't remember him." Simon didn't touch her like she thought. Instead, he moved to her shoulders. He cut the tank top straps and peeled them down under her bust. Then, he cut the straps from her bra and cut the sides until he slid it off her body.

Turning he put them in a Ziplock bag and tucked it into another container. He ripped the shirt from her and threw it in the container with her pants. Naked on the table, she wished for death. She wished she'd catch a chill or pneumonia and keel over. Anything but this, she pleaded to herself.

Simon turned to his table and she let her guard down, her eyes were wild, she looked around for anything she could use as a weapon. She knew the only exit was behind him, she'd never make it if she could get loose.

Simon turned around with his hands covered in blue and a scalpel in his hands. "Now, you were going to tell me where Sammy is." He walked toward her and used the scalpel to cut shallowly along her thigh in a straight line. Regina winced but was thankful it was so cold in here she could barely feel it. His eyes turned dark, his lips softened, and he looked aroused at the sight of her like this. It made her stomach roll.

"Where is he?" He poised the knife above her.

She wouldn't speak knowing her voice would betray her. She shook her head instead and closed her eyes.

"You're stronger than I thought, Sabrina. Let's see how much." He lowered the knife.

Roland sat in the living room at the Blanchard residence with Marian sitting across from him. He had his arms crossed and his lip pouted. "How come you didn't call?"

Marian said, "I'm sorry, baby. I got busy with work."

It was a lie, he knew it was a lie. His dad worked all the time and still made time to call him and spend time with him. "Why did you come back if you have work?"

"I was worried about your dad. I had to come back and make sure you were both okay."

Roland lifted his head, "He's hurt bad. Henry told me that I couldn't see him because it would scare me. But I'm not scared."

"Oh baby," she moved across to sit next to him and gathered him into her arms. "It would scare you, baby. He looks a little scary right now and he's still asleep a lot of the time."

Roland let her hold onto him knowing it was his mother, but he wanted Regina. Regina always made him cookies and sang him songs. She smelled nice and she was always letting him play in the rose garden. She never left him behind to go work in Africa. She didn't forget to call.

He pushed away from her, "I have to go potty," he lied. When he walked from the room, he heard her talking to Leo about taking him with her. Thankfully, Leo said he had to stay there.

He walked upstairs to where Henry was reading a comic book on the floor. Sliding to the floor, he said, "She didn't call and now she wants me to go with her."

Henry asked, "Did Leo say you could? Do you want to?"

"No, I don't want to, and Leo says we have to stay here. Henry, I hate her."

"I think you're mad, but you don't hate her. I hate my dad. He has my mom."

"Is Regina gonna be okay? I heard Maggie say she's got a baby in her belly. Is that true?"

Henry swallowed. "Yea, it's true."

"Will the baby be okay if he hurts her?" His voice got so small that Henry took his hand.

"I don't know, but let's not talk about it. Your mom can't take you, so we're okay. Let me read Iron Man to you. Okay?"

Roland snuggled closer to Henry and they escaped their horrors by diving into the world of superheroes wishing they were real and could save Regina.

The station smelled like burnt coffee and sweat. The day was quickly turning from late afternoon into the night. There were huddles of people in different rooms all with grim faces. The FBI was in the conference room on calls to search units around the Thompson house and anywhere he worked or visited.

There were a few officers tucked in a corner with computers and laptops tying away on reports. So much was happening, they had to bring in a few guys from the next county to help document each step they were taking.

They kept in contact with the deputies in California where they had a few people in the cells interviewing them on activities they once had with Thompson or the wife. Any information they could gather, they were doing.

Geoff was sipping from the coffee he no longer tasted but needed to stand straight. It was going on twelve hours since they found Robin on the floor of his bathroom. Twelve hours since Simon Thompson took his wife. The search was on for the pair of them, but they had to add danger to his ability to kill his wife. Was she involved? They didn't know, but it was their job to be objective.

Jerry strode up with a clipboard, "We've got a list of abandoned buildings, cabins, and warehouses in the county. We have teams out searching now. We're team three. Hit the John and meet me outside in ten." Geoff hated that he had to search for someone in his community. A community he knew was never any trouble. Not like this.

When they had searched the third warehouse, they heard from the station. They were being called back into the office. On the double. "You think they got him?"

Geoff ran with him, "No telling. Move your ass." They ran faster to their cruiser and sped through the street's sirens blaring to the station. Upon arrival, they entered to phones ringing, people gathered around in a circle. "What's up?"

"They found the fucker. He's holed up at old man Nelson's hunting cabin. The blueprints are laid out if you wanna look," Bradley said.

"I know that cabin like the back of my hand. Geoff and I used to play there as boys. There's a metal bunker underneath in case of mudslide or storm."

Heads shot up at his declaration and started shouting out questions. Jerry raised a hand, "One at a time, dammit."

"How many ways in?"

Jerry smirked, "Three. There's one at the main entrance and two underneath, but he wouldn't know that. Nelson was a stickler for safety and added the other two in case the cabin was destroyed. The first is at the rear behind a set of lockers."

"The other?"

Jerry had to think, "I can't…Geoff?"

"There's a safe. It's on the wall and it's not very big. You'd have to be small to get inside, but it's a way in."

Jerry remembered, "Right. The safe is on the west wall behind a broken-down refrigerator. The air conditioner was cold as a blizzard and the heater was hotter than summer."

They huddled around the blueprints and started to plan out which teams would enter where. By the end of the third hour, there were six teams of five. The roads were easy to navigate but he'd see them coming if he wasn't down below. Two teams would hike up from the south and meet at the back of the cabin.

Two teams would drive until they reached a three-mile distance and wait. The other two would stay back until it was time to rush to the front. They each had time to gather equipment, water, and they kept a paramedic on call, just in case. Jerry decided to have an officer carry a first aid kit and a few extra supplies if they needed them.

The night air was thick with humidity, the bugs were a nuisance, but Jerry and Geoff hiked slowly toward the cabin as instructed. The night vision goggles showed the cabin lights weren't on, but a fire was burning in the pit. There were no curtains, no smells coming out. No sounds. It was silent.

Their team advanced behind the team above them. They took measured steps avoiding making sounds. They all covered their mouths to mask their heavy breathing. Their muscles were being worked, sweat was dripping down their backs, but their eyes were sharp. They moved silently through the woods knowing their target would be on the other side of a steel trapped door.

Marian paced outside of Robin's room where he slept. It had been longer than she anticipated before she'd be able to speak to him again. She'd eaten at the cafeteria, gone to visit Roland at the Blanchard residence, and now she was back after a long walk. He was still sedated. The nurse had administered it after she left, and he'd been asleep for hours.

"Are you sure you didn't give him another dose after I left?"

The nurse turned and cocked a brow, "You accusing me of lying? He's hurt bad, honey. He'll be sleeping a ton until he recovers."

Marian sighed, "I'm sorry, I just want to talk to him, and he's been asleep this whole time."

"You look tired. Why don't you go get some sleep and come back in the morning?" Her smile was sweet, she hated to be rude.

"No, I need to talk to him, it can't wait." Her pacing continued for another ten minutes until she heard the nurse's call button. She watched the woman walk into his room and when she came back out, she winked at her.

Marian entered slowly and moved around the curtain. There was one small fluorescent light on in the room. It was darkness peeking through the large window with the blinds open to show the crescent moon up in the sky.

Robin grunted when he moved his arm and she moved quickly to help him move the covers off him. "You never did like being under covers," she said. He only watched her as she pulled the covers from around his waist and rolled them down to the foot of the bed.

Why is she looking at me like that? He wondered. The mask on his face was helping him to breathe, the cast on his foot was itchy and aching. The pain was a dull ache in his head and his chest was on fire, a pain he knew he'd have to get used to.

Before she could begin, the nurse walked in with a handful of syringes. "Are you going to put him back out?" Her voice was hot, but she didn't mean for it to be.

The nurse didn't look at her, "These are his antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and something for the immeasurable amount of pain he's in," she shot back.

Her eyes softened as she met Robin's eyes. As the woman worked, he stared at her. When she was done, she asked if he was hungry. Robin shook his head and she left them alone and shut the door.

Marian looked at the monitor, his heart rate had been a little erratic, but it was starting to slow down. "That was insensitive of me. I'm sorry."

Robin shrugged, not willing to speak through the pain. He was already in pain just looking at her.

"Robin, I went to see Roland." His eyes went molten and she backed up a step. "I needed to see him and wanted to take him for ice cream, but Mr. Blanchard wouldn't let him leave the house."

"Good," he croaked through his mask. "He's been hurt enough." Robin reached up with his good arm and used his fingers to pry the mask off his face. He took a few strangled deep breaths.

"I know that and I'm the cause of it. When I left, I meant to call but I got caught up. I was busy immersing myself in the culture, the people, the language. I was taking my classes and working." She glanced at the way his mouth flattened. "I know what you're gonna say. There's no excuse, you're right."

He'd opened his mouth to tell her but shut it when she came out with that.

"I failed as a wife and as a mother. I never meant to hurt you or Roland. Especially him. He's just a baby. But I owed you more than what I gave you. I owed you more and I'm sorry." Tears started to slip down her cheeks. She wanted to reach for him but kept her hands to herself.

"You destroyed me," he said. His eyes were dark red but inside of them she could see the hurt. "You left me and found someone new and left Roland like he was nothing." He picked up the mask and took a few deep breaths into the oxygen. "I could handle you leaving me, but not him."

She choked, "I'm sorry and I wanna make it up to you. Both of you. I made so many mistakes. I'm willing to stay and fix it."

"We don't need you," he wheezed.

"Robin," she cried.

It tore at him to see her crying. She wasn't a woman who shed tears often. Yes, she seemed to care, but he was so past her, it didn't matter. All he could see was Regina. "I'm tired, Marian."

She closed her mouth and nodded, "I'd like to stay, at least until your better, if that's okay. I'd like to help take care of the house and Roland."

"The house is trashed," he said.

"Yes, I've been there. I couldn't go inside but from what I could see, it is. But it's salvageable. I talked to Jerry and he said I could remove the tape on the door tomorrow."

"I'm tired," he said again. His eyes were beginning to close. "I don't wanna talk."

"Alright, well I'm staying at the Hilton tonight. I'll come by tomorrow and we can talk more if you're up to it."

Robin felt defeated, he didn't respond. He opened his eyes a crack when he felt her lips touch his lips. Too stunned and tried to respond, he closed his eyes again.

"I love you," she said as he drifted off dreaming it was Regina's words.