I really love writing this story. It's like it has its own life in my head and it keeps spreading. New ideas are coming to me and I keep adding to the original idea. I hope you will enjoy this chapter as much as you enjoyed the previous ones.


For most people it was just a normal day as any other day but for Emma it was one of the hardest days she has ever had. She was holding her son's hand while walking next to him through the white corridor of the surgery ward of Boston hospital. The whole medical team was waiting for them in one of the operation rooms where everything was ready for Henry's heart surgery. Henry's condition didn't change at all during the night and after considering all the risks Regina Mills decided to proceed with the surgery. The sooner the better. Henry didn't have much time and doctor Mills knew it.

„I wish I could stay with him," Emma said to Regina when she was kissing her son's forehead before handing him over to the medical team. Tears were running down her cheeks. If only she could turn the time forward to have her son back in her arms. Regina nodded to let the other woman know that she was ready to save her son. Her eyes met the wet blue orbs. She could only guess what was going on in Emma's mind. Who knows how she would feel if Henry was her own child. She didn't have any kids but with Henry she felt like he was her child. He was such a sweet kid and it wasn't hard for him to get under Regina's skin. She always liked kids and being a paediatrician seemed like the best thing she could do for living. Regina scrubbed her hands and asked one of the nurses to help her into the gown so she could enter the OR. She looked through the glass window between the OR and the scrubbing area. Her eyes landed on Henry's little body that was exhausted from the illness. He was laying on the operating table completely surrendered to the people who were there to save his life. The nurses and doctors were now working on putting Henry on the ventilation, disinfecting his chest in the closest area of the planned incision. The little boy was in good hands and Emma knew that Regina Mills, the brunette doctor, will try her best.

Regina was an interesting character. At the beginning she seemed cold and had almost no social awareness. After their first argument Emma thought that they will be in a strick patient-doctor relationship but something has changed in the past few days and she started realizing that their hearts were closer to each other. At least this was what Emma felt having no idea how Regina felt about her. All her thoughts went back to her son. She sat down on one of the chairs in the corridor hiding her face in her hands. Emotions filled her body. She started shaking.

Regina Mills began the surgery. She took a sharp scalpel and made the first cut in Henry's little chest. When they pulled the skin away, the doctors could see the chest cavity. They started working on joining Henry's blood circulation to the external pumps which were about to work as a replacement of his heart. The surgery wasn't an easy one but having such good doctors as her partners made Regina calm down. She took few deep breaths and began repairing Henry's heart. Time ran differently for her when she was in the middle of a surgery. After five hours of work they closed Henry's chest and disconnected some of the machines. They kept him in the induced coma to give his body some time to adjust to the changes. His heart was young and after being fixed it gained new strength. According to the data from the controlling monitors everything seemed to be just fine. Regina breathed out slowly to let all the pressure and stress go.

„Amazing work, people. Thank you," she said and left the room. The nurses took care of the rest and got Henry ready to be transferred to IC unit. Regina wanted Henry to be in a close distance to her so she could keep an eye on him. The brunette stepped through the door and looked around if Emma was still there. She found her sitting in the corner of the waiting room looking exhausted as if it was her who performed the surgery. When Emma heard Regina's steps she got up from her chair so fast that she almost fainted. Regina smiled to give Emma a hint of how the surgery went. When they finally stood in front of each other Regina spoke.

„The surgery went well. We will move Henry back to IC unit. He is still in a coma but we decided to leave it like that so his body has time to adjust and his heart has some time to recover," Regina explained the boy's situation and was completely surprised when Emma jumped from joy and hugged her. Yes, Regina was happy for Emma but she wanted ..she needed .. to keep some distance from the blonde. She couldn't afford any feelings towards this woman. They would make her vulnerable.

„Thank you doctor Mills," Emma whispered into Regina's ears. She took a deep breath of relief while squeezing Regina's body against her own.

„I am glad I could help," Regina said, pushing Emma away from her. They looked into each other's eyes. Emma was shining like the sun, Regina looked tired but the rays of happiness filled her eyes.

„You can see him soon," Regina added and was ready to leave.

„I will find a way to pay you back, I promise," Emma said watching Regina walk away from her. The brunette stopped and turned around to face the blond woman. Her words made her angry. She already had this chat with her and thought that she explained the condition of their deal.

When Emma saw the look on Regina's face she got scared. There it was, the ice queen look was back. Emma didn't know what could possibly make Regina change in such a short moment. First she was this sweet, huggable person and in a blink of an eye she turned into this cold woman.

„I thought we've already talked about the condition of this deal," the brunette said sounding cold and harsh.

„Yes, of course we had but I feel like I owe you more than just money," Emma admitted. Regina smiled wickedly and without saying another word she left leaving Emma puzzled even more than she was before.

TBC