Chapter24
Regina rested her shoulder into the living room window frame and stared out into the darkness. It was well after midnight and she knew she would never be able to get to sleep. All she could see in her mind was the look on Emma's face when she told her to leave and the heartbreaking reality that her nine-year-old son has been carrying the weight of the world on his shoulder and she was too blind to see it.
"Here we go." Her father said carrying two coffee mugs into the room.
"Daddy, I told you to go to bed. I'm fine." She said turning to face him.
He shrugged, "Well, no use in going to bed unless you're sleepy my dear." He sat down on the sofa.
She rolled her eyes with a small smile, "And what would mom say about your sleeping habits."
"If your mother were here I would have every reason to go to bed, tired or not." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
"Ewe, daddy." She said wrinkling up her face, the smile still present on her mouth.
"Why haven't you dated? It's been over twenty years. It's got to be lonely." She took a slow sip of her coffee to ensure it didn't burn her lips.
He shrugged nonchalantly, "Sometimes, I guess, but I'm too old to worry about things like that now."
"As long as you're breathing, you're still young enough." She said into the steam that rolled off the top of the mug.
"Do you seriously want to discuss this, or are you merely making conversation?" He asked.
Regina's eyes shot to his. She wasn't sure how to gauge his tone, "Seriously. I mean we always joke about it, but we never actually talk about it."
He sat his cup down on the coffee table and folded his hands together. Suddenly Regina was aware that her father's tone had changed, "Alright, let's talk about it."
Apprehension was filling her senses. She wasn't so sure she wanted to discuss this anymore.
"I've been on a couple of dates." He said.
Her eyes widened, "Really? When? With who?"
She wasn't expecting that remark. She thought for sure he would give her some long speech about how her mother was his true love and he could never be with another. She swallowed waiting for an answer, afraid she would feel that he had cheated on her mother.
He took his cup and leaned back on the sofa, "I went on a date last week. Her name is Ellen and she's nice."
All Regina could do is look dumbly at her father. It took a long minute, but finally, her senses returned to her, "Oh. Wow. Is it serious?"
He smiled at his daughter, "It's not a disease, Regina." He could obviously tell she was in shock. "Don't worry dear, there won't be any weddings bells for a while yet." He chuckled, and took a sip from the steaming mug, "I've imagined having this talk a million times when you were a little girl, but I kept telling myself that you needed time. Ellen had asked me to coffee more times than I care to admit over the last twenty years. I always declined."
Regina furrowed her eyebrows, "But why?"
"Because I always told myself that I needed to worry about you, and that's what I did. I was afraid I would shame your mother in some way. I told myself that I would take her up on her offer as soon as you moved away and got married." He chuckled again, "But then there was Henry." Just saying his grandson's name brought a smile to his face. "I could see how Robin was and I didn't want either of you to deal with him alone. I also worried that I would miss out on your lives if I got too caught up in my own."
The moment of hurt she felt for her mother evaporated and left only sadness for her father, "Oh daddy. I'm so sorry."
He tilted his head slightly in his daughter's direction, "Why are you sorry?"
"Because I'm a blind idiot." She stood up and let out a loud sigh, "I never once thought about your feelings. I guess I just naïvely assumed that when mom died that was it. Of course, you would get lonely. Hell, I couldn't even see that my son was under so much pressure. I am such an idiot."
"Stop that." Her father's voice rose, catching her off guard, "You are not an idiot. You didn't know I was lonely because I refused to let you know. I buried myself in work and Henry, and for a while, that was enough. It's not your job to worry about your parents like that. Isn't that what you told Henry?"
Regina chewed on her bottom lip and closed her eyes. She was so very tired. Her emotions were shot, and if she had to cry one more time she would scream.
"Regina, don't do what I did." He said softly. She waited for him to continue, "I let too many years go by worrying about everyone else and forgetting about myself, you're doing the same thing."
Regina walked back to the window, "I know where this is going daddy and I can't."
She could hear his footstep coming closer to her, "Why not? What are you so afraid of? She's not like her father."
She didn't want to turn around, "I can't."
"Can't or won't? Regina. You're not getting any younger either. You've wasted too many years on a man that never deserved you." He said from a few feet behind her.
She spun to face him, "I-I'm afraid okay?" Her voice snapped through the quiet house with a small echo and she spoke softer, "I'm scared to death that she will hurt me or worse, she will hurt Henry."
"How do you know if you don't even give her a chance?" He asked placing a hand on her shoulder.
Before she could answer, the house phone rang making her jump. She looked down at her wristwatch, "Who is calling at this hour."
She hurried to the entryway table and picked up the receiver before it had a chance to ring again, "Hello?"
"Mrs. Locksley, this is August Nolan." Regina's heart sank. Emma was her first thought and she waited expecting the worst.
"I'm sorry to call so late, but I'm trying to get ahold of Dr. Mills and he isn't answering his cell." The man said.
"Why are you looking for my father?" She turned to look at the doctor who waited in the doorway.
"I…" He hesitated. "I think I would rather talk to him."
"What's happened? Is Emma okay?" Panic crept into her voice.
The man exhaled, "Emma's fine. I mean she isn't hurt or anything, but." He hesitated again.
"But what?" She barked.
Her father took the phone from her, "This is Dr. Mills."
Regina chewed her bottom lip wrapping her arms around her middle. The knot in her stomach twisted again and it was hard to breathe. She couldn't take any more.
"How badly is he hurt?" Her father asked.
Regina started pacing the floor. How badly is he hurt? Who is he?
"Hold on one second." The doctor said reaching into the drawer of the entryway table to retrieve and pen and paper, "Alright, go ahead."
Regina watched her father scribble out the name Harold Mathis, "Got it. I will take care of it. You too. Talk to you soon."
"What's going on?" Regina wasn't far from hyperventilating.
Dr. Mills hung up the receiver and took his daughter by the shoulders, "Regina, take a deep breath. Emma is not harmed. So please, calm down."
The brunette did as she was instructed. After a few deep breaths, "Okay. What happened?"
"Well, it would appear that Emma's been arrested." He said calmly.
"Arrested? For what," she asked?
"Call Zelena. She'll fill you in." He said moving towards the doorway, "I have something I need to do."
She didn't argue with him, as bad as she wanted to, instead, she went in search of her cell phone. Zelena's number was in it and she hadn't called her enough times to memorize it. She hurried into the kitchen and found it on the island. Her finger fumbled through the contact log until she found what she was looking for and pressed the call button. She held her breath as the phone dialed.
"Regina," Zelena said apparently reading her caller ID?
"What's going on?" She asked, her body shaking, "Why did Emma get arrested."
"She assaulted a man at a restaurant this evening." Regina listened carefully. "She had been drinking when I met her and August there. She called and told us she had something she needed to discuss with us and we agreed." The redhead hesitated, but then continued, "Anyways there was a man at another table who caught her attention. She asked to be excused and went over. After a minute or two, he yelled for security. She took her belt off and began beating the man with it. We couldn't hear what was being said, but she was relentless. August had to pull her off him. The restaurant called the police and they arrested her. I'm sure the man will press charges, but his wife was pretty pissed at him when they left though."
This time Regina paused. Why would she beat a random man, "Where do I go to bail her out?"
"I just told you that she attacked a man and that's the first thing you say?" Zelena asked, but Regina didn't answer? "We won't know what bail is until we see a judge and it looks like it will have to wait until 9 am."
"Fine, I'll meet you at the courthouse by 9 in the morning," Regina said starting to end the call.
"Regina, there's more," Zelena said.
"Okay." She held her breath.
"Emma wants to turn herself in for the murder of Albert Blackwell." The words seemed foreign to her at first. As if they didn't quite register.
It only took a second to sink in, "She what? She can't do that. Zelena you can't let her."
"I was trying to talk to her about it, but that's when she noticed that man. His wife said something about him beating her children," the redhead seemed as surprised as she was.
Regina started to tell her she needed to try harder, but it suddenly dawned on her who Harold Mathis was, "Oh my God. Peter and Felix's father."
"Excuse me?" Zelena asked.
"The man Emma attacked. He is the father of a couple of boys Henry goes to school with. He abused his sons after Emma informed him that his boys were bullying Henry. Henry was very upset with Emma and blamed her for it." She let out a shaky breath, "I can't tell Henry she went to jail over this. He will blame himself."
There was a long silence until Zelena said, "I know you want to see Emma, but it's probably a good thing she is in jail for the night. She was well on her way to getting shitfaced and only God knows what she would have done. She needs to sleep it off somewhere she can't hurt herself or anyone else."
Regina knew she was right. So she ran her fingers through her hair, "I agree. I'll see you around 9 then." With that, she ended the call. There would definitely be no sleeping tonight.
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Henry chewed the skin on the edge of his fingernail until it was pink and raw. The two chairs on either side of him were vacant and it made him worry. Where were Peter and Felix? Surely they hadn't moved already.
He didn't sleep well last night. Emma and how he treated her stayed on his mind. He tried to call her to apologize, but she wouldn't answer her phone. He was a horrible person and he didn't blame her if she never talked to him again.
"Henry?" The teacher called.
His head snapped up in her direction, "Yes Mrs. Blue?"
"Is everything alright? You don't look well." She said walking towards his desk.
He glanced around at the curious faces now looking in his direction, "I'm fine. Just trying to concentrate." He looked down at his test paper and realized he hadn't even started it. The clock on the wall said that thirty minutes had passed since the teacher passed them out.
Mrs. Blue walked up and peered down at his blank test and raised an eyebrow, "Henry will you step outside with me for a minute please."
Henry swallowed. Every eye in the room was on him, a couple of snickers and mumbling could be heard from the far side of the class, but he could make out what they were saying. He made his way out into the hallway where Mrs. Blue waited.
"What's going on Henry? You haven't been yourself for the past few days and today you seem worse." The brown-haired woman explained.
There was no way Henry would share anything private with the woman. She was nice and all, but he didn't know her well enough to trust her, "Where are Peter and Felix?"
The teacher seemed thrown off by the question. It wasn't what she had expected as a response, "Uh, I'm not sure. Henry, we're talking about you, not Peter and Felix."
As if he hadn't heard her words he continued his inquiries, "They didn't get pulled out of school did they?"
The petite brown haired woman crossed her arms over her chest and stared down at the boy as if he had grown a second head, "I don't think so. I'm sure the office would have informed me. I think their mother kept them home for a doctor's appointment or something. Why are you worried about them Henry?"
He shrugged his shoulders. He wouldn't tell her. This was definitely not his business to tell. He hoped they didn't have to go to the doctor over new injuries.
"Is this why you are having trouble focusing on your work?" She asked tilting her head slightly to get a better view of his face.
"Maybe. I don't know." Henry was confused. He didn't want to tell her anything but at the same time, he didn't want to lie either.
"Is there something I need to know? Does this have something to do with Peter's eye yesterday?" She asked.
He swallowed and nodded his head. It wasn't telling her if she guessed, right?
The teacher took a deep breath and then slowly released it, "I see. Do you know what happened to him?"
Henry chewed his bottom lip and nodded his head, "I do, but I can't tell you."
She closed her eyes and looked up at the ceiling, "Damn it." She mumbled. "I always suspected there was something going on in that house, but they always told me that they got their bruises and broken bones from each other."
Henry was a little shocked that the woman got all of that out of their brief and less than informative conversation. He could see the watery look in her eyes, "Please don't tell them I told you. This has gotten way out of hand already."
The teacher knelt down with her knees on the tile floor and put her hands on his should, "I would never do that."
He gave a weak smile to indicate that he appreciated it. Mrs. Blue had always been a nice teacher, but there was something about her that made her odd. Today, however, all oddities seemed to melt away when he could see how much she cared.
"OOOH DAMN," several voices yelled in unison!
Henry and Mrs. Blue looked around. More cheering and sounds were coming from their classroom, "What in the world?"
Mrs. Blue stood, "Henry, wait here while I see what is going on."
He watched as she opened the door to the class and walked inside. He could see a group of his classmate gathered around a boy watching something on his cell phone.
"What is the meaning of this?" Mrs. Blue asked walking over to the group.
Several of the students ran back to their desk, a couple were still engrossed in the video and seemed as if they never knew she was there.
Mrs. Blue snatched the phone from the one boy and looked down at the screen, "What is this?"
"It went viral this morning. She is beating the crap out of their dad." One of the girls said from over the teacher's shoulder.
Henry slowly entered the room. He had this sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach. He needed to see that video.
"Hey Henry, isn't that your friend from the talent show?" Another boy asked.
"IT IS!" A girl yelled out from across the room.
Mrs. Blue looked at him and grimaced. He felt as though he were in a tunnel. He slowly made his way to them and carefully took the phone from his teacher turning the screen so he could see. There was Emma alright, beating Peter and Felix's dad down on the floor. His hand began to shake and he suddenly felt cold. His eyes seemed to stop working and before he knew it, everything went black.
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Emma adjusted the toilet paper roll she was using as a pillow. The large room they placed her in was made of cinder blocks and painted a pale gray. A row of stainless steel racks lined two of the walls while a metal sink and toilet sat on another wall for the entire world to see.
This room is what most would refer to as the holding tank. Mostly drunks and junkies were put in here to sober up and wait for their court dates and bail hearings. She was relieved of her bra, because of the metal wire and of course her belt. They let her keep her shoes, but several others either got their shoes taken away or their laces.
She rubbed the black smudge of ink off her finger absentmindedly. Normally they would have taken her fingerprints electronically, but apparently, the machine was down so they had to revert back to the primitive method.
She slept like crap, which she guessed was the point of the room, but also because even in her alcohol-induced mind, she could only think of Henry and Regina. Not only did the night drag-on because of her brain, but because there were no windows and no clocks so you have no idea what time it is. A minute could seem like an hour and an hour could seem like a minute, she wasn't sure.
There were four other women in the room with her. One was a crack head, who sat by herself in the far corner of the room scratching at imaginary fleas. Her hair was matted and dirty and it gave Emma the chills. Two of the women were meth head prostitutes. How did she know their occupations you might ask? Well, these women seemed to be rivals. They spent the night arguing over the corner they were both picked up on. One said the street corner was hers while the other claimed it to be hers and that the other had stolen her John. The rotten front teeth they displayed matched and were a classic sign of meth mouth.
The last was an old heavy set African American woman. Emma wasn't sure what she was in for. At first glance, she looked like someone's grandma and definitely not a criminal. She sat in the corner of her rack down from Emma just staring at the floor. At one point one of the meth hoes attempted to talk to her, but she ignored them and stared at the same spot on the floor. Emma just hoped she wasn't a serial killer.
There was a loud buzzing sound and the doors lock being released. Everyone in the cell turned to see except the old black woman.
"Nolan." A female officer stepped inside. "Let's go."
Emma didn't ask any questions. She was more than ready to leave this room and nearly ran to achieve the goal. The officer grabbed her upper arm and moved her out into the hallway before closing the door behind her. The loud buzz sounded again and then the locks moving back into place.
"Turn around and face the wall." The officer said in a monotone voice.
Emma didn't like this or the way they spoke to her in here, but she complied.
"Put your arms behind your back." She said.
Again Emma did as she was told as the officer clicked the cold metal handcuff down around her wrist. She thought they were a bit overkill, but she was sure it was the procedure.
The officer led her down the long corridor until they stopped at another steel door. The same buzzing noise echoed through the hall and the locks tumbled as they released. The door was opened and they went through.
Emma couldn't think of a single movie off the top of her head to compare to real life here. Sure she had streamed a couple of episodes of that Orange show, but even then, that was a federal prison, not jail.
The female officer stopped outside a window covered office and began removing the cuffs.
"What's going on?" Emma asked not even sure where they were inside the police station.
"You made bail." She said, unamused.
Emma spotted Zelena on the other side of the glass. As happy as she was to be getting out, she wasn't looking forward to any talks with her soon to be sister-in-law.
The officer passed her a bag, "Here are your belongings. Make sure everything is there and then sign the form."
Emma looked inside. Her wallet, bra, a cashier's check for 319.53, and her cell phone were there. She reached her hand in and began moving things around.
"If it's all there, sign." The officer said.
Emma was panicked. Where was it? "It's not here, where is my Zippo?"
The officer hollered through a small window, "Hey, Kathy. She said she had a Zippo."
A tall thin woman wearing slacks and a blazer approached the window, "There was no Zippo."
"Yes, there was." She said moving closer to the opening.
"If she said there was no Zippo, then there was no Zippo." The officer said firmly.
"SHE'S FUCKING LYING," Emma shouted.
The officer stepped in front of her pushing her away from the window, "You need to move back and calm down."
"GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF ME!" She yelled, knocking the officer's hands away from her.
"Hey, what's seems to be the problem?" Zelena ran up placing herself between the police officer and her client.
"They have my Zippo," Emma said nearly in tears.
"There wasn't a Zippo on her when she came in." The officer explained.
"She's Lying." Emma began.
"Hey, Emma." Zelena tried but was fighting with the blonde who was trying to get around her, "Emma Look at me. LOOK AT ME!" She finally shouted gaining the desired attention. "We will find it, okay. I promise, but you have to calm down."
Emma closed her eyes for a second to will her tears and anger to stay at bay and nodded her agreement.
Zelena took the piece of paper and scribbled out her signature, "Let's go. Regina would have been here, but she was called away to pick Henry up from school."
"Why? What's wrong with Henry?" She asked, the Zippo forgotten for the moment.
"I didn't ask. I'm sure you can call and find out later." She said ushering the blonde towards the exit. "We need to get as far away from here as we can before you get yourself arrested again."
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"All of his tests have come back normal. I have no scientific reason for your son's blackout Dr. Locksley." The neurologist said. "I think you may want to seek out a psychologist or perhaps a counselor." He added before walking out of the room.
Regina sighed pinching the bridge of her nose with her thumb and middle finger. She knew what the reason was. It was simple. Her son was over stressed. How could she have not seen him cracking? She was his mother for God's sake.
"Mom, I'm okay," Henry said quietly sitting on the end of the exam table.
She turned and looked at him, "You're not okay Henry. Nine-year-olds do not go around passing out when they're okay."
He lowered his head and Regina regretted her tone immediately, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm just worried."
"That's exactly why I didn't tell you." He said into his chest.
She pulled her lips over her teeth and pressed them together. She had no clue how to get her child to talk to her. She wasn't disillusioned enough to think he would tell her his every secret, but Henry wasn't telling her anything. That hurt her, no matter what his reasons were.
She took her son's face in both hands and lifted it so he was looking at her, "I know you don't want me to worry. That is very grown up for you, but baby, you have to talk to me. Of course, I will worry, but I'm your mom. You're supposed to be able to tell me anything."
Henry nodded, "I know, but I can't tell you if I know it will hurt you or upset you. That's why I told Emma."
"I'm not upset that you went to Emma. I just wish you would talk to me." She said. "I wish Emma would have told me before she did anything rash like…" She let her words die on her lips and sighed, "It's almost like having two children." The last part was more of a mumble, but Henry could hear.
"If I make an appointment with Kathryn's counselor, will you talk with him?" She had the authority to make him see the man, but she also knew that if she forced him, he would shut down even tighter.
He pulled back from his mother's embrace and looked at her face, "If that's what you want me to do."
"I don't know if it will help, but I would like you to try." She said with a soft smile.
He nodded his head, "Okay."
There was a long moment of silence. "I'm scared for her mom." He said with a heavy sadness.
Regina gave her son a tight hug, "Me too baby."
