Chapter 11
Emma sat on the examination table, swinging her feet back and forth. The room was small with different medical charts hanging on the stark white walls. One chart was the anatomy of the inner ear and hung to the left, while another was one of the sinus cavities that hung to the right. A small set of light grey cabinet hung in the corner near the door and an equally small counter sat directly below with a small sink to one side. Other than the two body part diagrams adorning the walls, the room was bleak.
Two days had come and gone without the blonde hearing from Doctor Mills or his daughter. She had texted with Henry a lot though. They mostly talk about the zoo or other interest the nine-year-old had, and in return, she would tell him things about herself when she was his age.
Dr. Mills phoned her this morning. He wanted her to come in for a check-up even though her ribs didn't hurt as bad. Things at the club had been quiet for the most part. Anton was on his own mission to ensure that their secret night at the warehouse remained secret and that no evidence could be found. Killian said he had yet to find the leak, but he would continue to work on it. Of course, the best news was that she still hadn't heard from her father. No news was good news, right?
There was a tap on the door before it opened. She thought it would be Dr. Mills, but to her surprise, it was little Henry, "Hey Em." He greeted her with a big grin.
"Hey, kid. What are you doing here," she asked. Waiting in this small room for over 20 minutes was nerve-wracking and she was happy to see a friendly face. Emma realized she didn't do well when left alone with her own thoughts.
"My mom had to come into work and Aunt Kathryn had to go see her counselor, so mom said I could come and help her." He walked closer holding clipboard in his hand, "So how are you feeling?"
The corner of Emma's mouth curled at the sight, "Well, doctor, I am feeling much better." She answered, trying not to laugh out loud.
"That's good. Have you been taking it easy like you were told," he asked, keeping his seriousness.
"Of course," she grinned.
She watched him looked down at the chart, "It says here that all of your vitals are normal."
The chart in the boy's hand was blank, but he put on a good show, "Well, tell me doc, am I going to make it?"
Henry pretended to look over the chart, "If you take your medicine and get plenty of rest."
Emma smiled but was cut off from responding when she realized Regina was standing in the doorway observing her son. Suddenly her stomach fluttered.
"So Dr. Locksley, what medication would you prescribe for the patient?" The brunette asked raising a perfectly sculpted eyebrow.
Henry scrunched up his face as he thought, "I guess it would depend. I would first need to make sure she wasn't allergic to anything." He chewed lightly on his bottom lip. "I might prescribe her some sort of NSAID or a…"
"And what is an NSAID?" Regina asked, interrupting him.
"Umm, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen." He said.
Emma's eyes widened as Regina smiled, "Very good. What else might you give?"
"I would prescribe an opioid to help with her pain," he said, looking down at his make-believe chart.
Emma could see pride washed over the boy's mother's face. She was mesmerized by the way the other woman's full lips pulled up revealing her pearly white teeth. The light hitting the small scar on her upper lip drew Emma's eyes in.
"That is very good Henry. Now I need you to wait outside while I examine Miss Nolan." The brunette said gently.
Henry looked up at Emma and she smiled, "I'll see you after."
He nodded his head and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. Emma felt nervous. It seemed the more she saw the other woman, the harder it was for Emma to function properly in her presence.
Regina walked up to the blonde pulling the stethoscope from her neck, "Millie told me she took your vitals, but I want to listen to your lungs." She stepped closer, placing the earpieces in her ears and slid the chest piece across Emma's back.
The blonde could smell the other woman's scent and feel her body heat. Emma couldn't move even if she wanted to. She closed her eyes, hoping that the urge to touch the doctor would subside.
"Take a deep breath for me," Regina said, her breath hitting Emma's cheek causing a shiver to run up the younger woman's spine.
"How's the pain?" The brunette's sultry voice vibrated in Emma's ear.
Emma swallowed, "Uh, not as bad."
Regina nodded her head in understanding and slowly placed the stethoscope back around her neck, "Raise your shirt."
Emma licked her lips but did as she was told. She had seen in the mirror this morning that the bruises had turned into ugly faded green. She took a sharp breath as soft warm fingers slid lightly across her bare skin.
"It looks like they are healing nicely." She pressed lightly and Emma hissed, "It's probably still a little tender."
Emma was lost in the feel of the other woman's hand. This woman was making her feel like a pubescent teenager again. What was it about her?
"Alright. Everything looks good. You should be back to 100% soon." Regina said, stepping away as she pulled her prescription pad from her lab coat pocket, "I'll write you another script for painkillers."
"I don't need any. I still have some from last time." Emma said.
The brunette slid the pad back into her pocket, "Are you sure? I only gave you fifteen last time."
The blonde nodded, "Yeah, I'm sure. I only took them when I had to work the bar and now the pain is really not that bad."
Regina leaned her hip against the cabinet and crossed her arms as she looked at the other woman, "Well, you can always call me if you change your mind."
Emma watched the brunette chewed on her bottom lip, she knew the doctor wanted to say something else. It was really cute how Henry took after his mother in so many ways. The more she learned about the boy, the more she seemed to learn about his mother.
Regina rubbed her hand across the back of her neck, "So, my father is coming over for dinner tomorrow night. Anyways, I was wondering if you might like to come." She paused and then added, "Henry would love for you to be there."
A small amount of disappointment washed over the younger woman, but she didn't let it show, "I would have to check with the club and see if I can take the night off."
Regina gave a tight-lipped smile, "Of course."
There was a light tap on the door before it opened. Dr. Mills stepped inside, "Hey there Ugly Duckling. How are we doing?"
"Much better," Emma said.
"She's healing very nicely." Regina said to her father as she pushed herself off the counter, "I'll go to see if Millie needs any help in the lab."
The blonde realized she didn't want the other woman to leave but remained quiet. What could she say? The woman probably still thinks she's a nuisance.
She walked out. There were a style and grace about the older woman that she had never seen in another person. She was beautiful, of course, but also confident. Emma met many women who were cocky and arrogant, but not confident. Not the way Regina Locksley was. The blonde was sure there were probably a number of the things the older woman was self-conscious about or even moments she might be skeptical in her own abilities, but you wouldn't know it by looking at her.
Dr. Mills cleared his throat loudly causing Emma to shift her eyes from the doorway to him. The look on his face was one of curiosity, "My daughter's beautiful, isn't she?"
Emma cleared her own throat, making sure her voice wouldn't falter, "No, I mean, yes, she is." The blonde's cheeks grew red and hot.
The older doctor smiled softly, "She takes after her mother in that department." He laughed, "Which is probably a good thing."
Emma lowered her eyes. The doctor had spoken of his wife often when she was young and knew it was a sensitive subject, "From the photos I've seen, she does look a lot like Mrs. Mills."
"So I take it she asked you?" He asked.
"Asked me what?" The blonde asked as she tried to tamp down her blush from a few moments ago.
"To dinner tomorrow," he said taking a quick glance out the door and closing it to ensure no one overheard their conversation.
"Yes sir, she did. I told her I would have to check with the club." Emma said.
He nodded his head, "Well, try and make it. Regina was nervous to ask you and hasn't even told Henry yet."
"Why wouldn't she tell Henry," she asked?
"Because she doesn't want Henry to get his hopes up and then you not show up. He gets enough disappointment from his father." Dr. Mills answered.
Emma nodded her head. She knew better than anyone what it was like to be let down on a regular basis, "I'll see what I can do."
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Emma entered the club through the back door after her doctor appointment. She found herself wishing she owned a car or at least a driver. She was getting tired of waiting for taxis'. In New York, she could hail a cab at any corner, but in Houston, you'd have better luck calling a taxi company to come to pick you up. They were not as readily available.
No sooner did the door close behind her and Killian was rushing towards her, "They just showed up a few minutes ago. I didn't have time to warn you."
"Who?" She asked in confusion.
He lowered his voice, "Mr. Gold and his crew."
Emma's heart nearly leaped out of her chest. When she had heard that the guy she killed was Robert Gold's nephew she had been a little surprised, but at the time she didn't care. Now, it seemed a bit more surreal.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she brushed imaginary wrinkles from her dress pants, "Lead the way." She said.
The men were sitting at the table at the back of the bar. Emma now referred to that specific table as the VIP table. She walked up to the four men and nodded towards the impish looking man, "Mr. Gold."
"My, my, you're all grown up." He said. His words were always laced with venom and his Scottish accent only aided in sweetening the sound.
Once upon a time, he was infamous for being more ruthless than her father, but he had faded gently into the background for the last decade. He struck many deals with David Nolan, even though they hated each other.
"Time has a tendency to do that," Emma said curling the corners of her mouth as she waved Ruby over.
The tall brunette walked over, "What can I get for you gentlemen?"
There were three other men with Mr. Gold, two remained standing while the third was seated next to the boss.
"I'll have a scotch on the rocks. And Neal here will have water." He said smiling up at the bartender.
As Ruby went to retrieve the men's drinks Emma's eyes shot to Neal. She hadn't seen him since she was in high school. He was Mr. Gold's only child and he was an arrogant little shit. While she went to the all-girls school, he went to the neighboring all-boys school.
Emma pulled out a chair and sat down across from the other two men, Killian stood next to her, "So what is it that I can do for you, Mr. Gold?"
"I heard Mr. Nolan put you on lockdown," Neal said with a smirk. "No more booze, money or pussy."
Emma clenched her jaw tightly but managed to keep her smile.
"Knock it off." Mr. Gold snapped at his son.
Ignoring his father, he sneered at the blonde, "You still like pussy, right? What was the name of that girl you were secretly banging in high school?" He paused as he pretended to think of the name, "Oh yeah Lily Page. She was a nice piece of…"
"NEAL!" The Scottish man's accent echoed through the empty bar room. "Go wait in the car."
"But dad, I…" Neal started.
"I don't care. Go wait in the car. Don't make me say it the third time." Mr. Gold's voice was heavy with warning.
Neal stood and walked away, throwing one last smirk towards Emma. The blonde wanted to throw the table at him, but she remained calm. When everyone in her high school found out that she and Lily were an item, Lily dumped her. The next thing she knew was her newly ex-girlfriend was dating Neal Gold.
"I do apologize for my son's behavior, Miss Nolan. Sometimes his mouth gets away from him." Gold replied softly as Ruby appeared with two drinks.
"Why are you here?" Emma asked, now annoyed.
Mr. Gold took his drink from the bartender before he spoke, "I'm sure you have heard that my nephew is missing." The small-framed man took a sip from his glass, "Rumor has it he was in here last Friday night."
"He was. But he was asked to leave when he drugged a customer and tried to take her home." Anyone would say she was crazy for telling the man the truth about Friday night, but she knew if she lied about that part, things would get a lot worse if someone found out.
Gold took another sip of his drink before sitting it down, "Is that the last time you saw him?"
Emma hesitated only for a second, but in her head, it felt like much longer, "No. I had the pleasure of bumping into him in an alleyway." She raised her shirt to show the bruises, "Got some lovely parting gifts though."
The man's eyes move from her side up her body as if he is looking for other marks. He stopped as he noticed the healing cut on her eyebrow and the faint mark on her lip, "Did you retaliate?"
The atmosphere around her was thick with tension. Mr. Gold's stare made her uncomfortable. She sighed, "No. We couldn't find him."
The man dropped his gaze and picked up his tumbler. He tipped the remaining liquid into his mouth and swallowed, "Thank you for your time, Miss Nolan. I would like to see the video footage of Friday night if that is possible. You can have it sent to me or I can have one of my guys pick it up, whichever you prefer."
"I'll talk to Anton." She said standing up.
Mr. Gold pushed away from the table with a nod. He turned and walked out, leaving Emma with her thoughts. She just hoped Anton hadn't completely destroyed the footage.
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Regina strolled down the aisle with a shopping cart. She had actually managed to finish the paperwork at her father's clinic before dark. It was a good thing since she had Henry with her.
"Hey mom, can we get some of these?" Henry called out, holding up a box of chocolate covered pastries.
"I thought you wanted me to make rice crispy treats for dessert?" She said moving closer to him.
"I do, but these look good too." He grinned.
Regina would normally tell him no. She didn't like him eating a lot of sugar. Being a doctor, she treated many patients with diabetes, even worse, juvenile diabetes. She let him have sweets, but she carefully monitored his intake. Tonight, however, her mind was preoccupied with a certain blonde and whether she was going to accept her dinner invitation or not.
"Okay." She absentmindedly agreed as she chewed her bottom lip.
Henry narrowed his eyes, "Are you okay mom?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask," she stopped the cart so she could grab some pasta from the shelf?
"Cause you're acting weird. You never let me have these things." The boy replied, putting the box of pastries back on the shelf.
"Just distracted, I guess." She didn't look up at him. Instead, she read the back of a spaghetti package.
"What did Emma say when you asked her over for dinner?" He asked and Regina's eyes snapped to her son's.
"How did you know I invited Emma to dinner?" The surprise was evident on her face.
Henry smiled, "I might have eavesdropped at the clinic, but in my defense, I did hear Aunt Kathryn telling you to ask her last night."
Regina placed the box of pasta in the cart and sighed, "I forget you're not five anymore. I should really watch what I say."
Confusion swept across her son's features, "You do know I'm not an idiot, right?"
"What? Of course, I know that." She said with a confusion of her own. "Why would you think that?"
The nine-year-old stared back at her for a second longer than necessary before he shook his head, "No reason. So, what are you going to make for tomorrow night?"
Regina wasn't sure what her son had been getting at when he shifted the conversation, but she went along, "I don't know. I hadn't given it much thought."
"You invited Emma over and you don't know what you're making?" He asked, putting his hands on his hips.
"The dinner is not for Emma specifically. I merely invited her because I wanted to thank her for bringing you home safely." Regina insisted as she started pushing the cart forward.
Henry stepped in front of the cart and put his hand out to stop her, "Really?" He raised a skeptical eyebrow, "Then why have you been acting funny, especially when you're around Em?"
"Don't be ridiculous Henry." Regina faltered, "I have just been under a lot of stress lately and I am tired."
The look remained on the boy's face, but he stepped to the side to allow his mother to continue down the aisle, "Why don't you make your lasagna?"
The brunette considered it. Everyone loved her lasagna and it had been a while since she made it. She turned the cart around and headed back to the pasta section. She could only hope Emma wasn't one of the few people on the planet that didn't like it.
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"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?" Anton's voice boomed through the glass office loft. "Do you have any idea what will happen if they find out what we did?"
"What I did." Emma corrected. "And yes, I have a pretty good idea." The mini bar was looking pretty good about now.
"Then, why in the hell would you tell him his nephew was here?" Anton asked as beads of sweat glistened off his forehead and around his nose.
"We need to stay as close to the truth as possible. If Gold finds out that his nephew was here and we lied, he will know we're guilty. If I look like I am sharing information with him, he will be more likely to believe that we had nothing to do with his disappearance." Emma sat on the corner of her desk.
"You do realize that Robert Gold and his family are our vendors?" The giant blurted out.
"What?" The blonde narrowed her eyebrows, "All of the vendors for this place are Gold's?"
Anton nodded his head, "Yes. The ones that are not Gold's are Blackwell's. The Blackwell's are Gold's in-laws."
Emma took a deep breath as she thought back to the invoices, "Did Will use these vendors too?"
Anton looked confused, "I don't think so. What does that have to do with anything? We have a problem. There are three guys still alive that can rat us out."
"My father hates Gold. Why would he buy from him?" Emma asked more to herself than to the man next to her.
"I don't know. Emma, focus." The big man said, staring at the blonde.
Emma shook her head to rid her thoughts. She would look into this later, "Do you still have the footage from last Friday night or not?"
Anton blinked, "Not here, but I can get it. You're going through with this?"
"Yes. Get a copy and run it over to Gold." Emma stood from the desk and walked over to the mini bar. She looked down at the bottle of whiskey that sat half empty and licked her lips.
Her phone vibrated loudly from the desktop and she turned to look at it. Who could be calling her now? Anton walked out of the room leaving her and the phone. She went over and picked it up, not bothering to look at the caller ID, "Yeah?"
"Hey Em, it's Henry."
A smile crossed her face and for a brief moment, it felt as if nothing else mattered. She had lived most of her adult life without anyone to call a friend. It had been a very lonely road. Now she had one, and she didn't care if he was nine. If she had ever chosen to have kids, she hoped they would turn out like Henry.
"Hey Henry, how's it going?" She asked, forgetting about the mini bar altogether.
"It's going well. Are you coming tomorrow?" He asked in a hushed tone.
"I was under the impression you didn't know." She said plopping down on the white leather sofa.
"My mom isn't good at keeping secrets from me." She could hear the grin she knew he was wearing.
"Your mom didn't want me to say anything to you. I thought it was supposed to be a surprise." The blonde said picking up her water bottle off the coffee table from earlier that afternoon.
"Maybe." The boy said lowering his voice again. "She hasn't been herself lately, so you have to come."
Emma took the cap of the bottle and took a swig before answering, "What does your mom not being herself and me coming to dinner have to do with each other?"
There was a pause on the line, "Because you're the reason she's acting differently."
Emma thought she could hear someone calling the boy's name in the background and before the blonde could ask what he meant, Henry rambled out, "Dinner's at six but come early and I can show you my new Xbox game. Oh, and bring a bottle of wine that goes well with lasagna." There was a click and the line went dead.
Emma smiled as she laid her phone down on the coffee table. She guessed she didn't have a choice now. Her biggest dilemma was picking the right wine.
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"So do you think she will come?" Kathryn asked pulling her feet up under her as she sat comfortably on the Bridgewater sofa.
Regina sat sideways with only one leg curled under her, facing her friend. She took a sip from her wine glass, "I don't know. Henry seems to have faith in her though."
"I thought you weren't going to tell him." The blonde said taking a sip from her own glass.
Regina chuckled lightly, "I hadn't planned on it, but apparently he's a spy."
Kathryn laughed, "Of course he is. You know, I don't think you have ever been able to keep a secret from that boy."
Regina remained quiet, but she smiled. That was a trait she wished her son didn't have. When she had served Robin with divorce papers, Henry knew. She hadn't spoken to anyone about it, but Henry always knew when something was wrong. Her son was very smart and she was sure he could be anything he wanted when he grows up. He had said he wanted to be a doctor like her and his grandfather, but now, she wouldn't be surprised if he wanted to be a detective or even a CIA agent.
"Well, Henry is a great judge of character, if he says she'll show, then she'll show," Kathryn said finishing her wine.
Regina took another sip before sitting the glass down on the coffee table, "Are you sure I should be doing this, I mean, we did just help her cover up a horrific crime. I don't think her coming around is such a great idea."
The blonde rolled the empty glass between her hands, "Look. We did help her, but I'm not sorry. And Henry loves this woman. Hell, she seems to be growing on you too." She chuckled, "She's not as bad as you want to believe. You're still hung up on the fact that she is a Nolan."
"No. That's not it. Everything happened so quickly. What happened to you last Friday, the guy jumping Emma in the alley, the bloody mess we walked into at that warehouse, and let's not forget the body that was so badly beaten…" Regina tried to explain.
"Let me stop you right there," Kathryn said pulling her feet out from under her to sit closer to the edge of the sofa. "I'm not saying what she chose to do was right, obviously not in the eyes of the law." The brunette noticed her friend take a deep breath, "What do you think would have happened had Emma called the police after getting the guy that drugged you?"
Regina could hear the seriousness in her friend's tone and licked her lips, "They would have come and arrested the guy."
"And what about me?" Kathryn asked, locking eyes with the brunette.
"What do you mean? I would have told them you were missing." Regina defended.
"No, you wouldn't. Regina, you couldn't even remember your own name, let alone remember mine. Could you?" The blonde asked.
Regina bit hard at her bottom lip as she fought the sting of in her eyes, "I guess not."
"Okay, so, it is safe to say that no matter which of the two options Emma had to choose from, the outcome would have been the same. I would have been raped?" The blonde asked, not waiting for an answer. "We already know that there was no physical evidence. The best you could have hoped for is that the man, who drugged you, be arrested for assault with intent." Kathryn stopped for a second as she looked at her friend, "Emma's crew is the ones who were able to found my attackers. The cops might have been able to find the guy who drugged me, but I wouldn't be able to testify against them. The defense would have torn apart everything we remembered. They would punch holes in our story by using the fact that we were under the influence and in the end, we would be questioning the truth ourselves. I've played the scenario over and over in my head. "
Regina picked up her glass and swallowed the remainder of the wine. She knew what her friend was saying was true. She stood up from the couch and reached for Kathryn's glass, "More wine?"
The blonde smiled as she passed the glass over, "You have to ask?"
Regina headed towards the kitchen. Whether Emma did the right thing or not, she wasn't sure it was smart to have her hanging around here. She needed to let it go or at least not bring it up to her blonde friend again. What if someone catches on to what happened?
