Sorry for not updating yesterday! I had a super busy day and didn't have time to write or upload. Here's the one that should have been yesterday's.

This chapter is for Lanafan7151977 with the prompt: "Appendicitis. Regina gets appendicitis and Emma rushes her to the hospital."

"Emma," Regina said, shaking her wife. "Wake up."

Emma groaned before opening her eyes. "What?"

"Something's not right," Regina said through gritted teeth. She had woken up with severe pain on her right side. Something was wrong.

"What do you mean?" Emma asked, fully awake now.

"My right side really hurts," Regina said.

Emma reached over and turned on the lamp next to her side of the bed. They both winced at the sudden light as their eyes adjusted.

Emma sat up and gently pulled the covers off of Regina. "Show me where it hurts at."

"Where my hand is currently," Regina mumbled. Emma put her hand gently over Regina's before pressing down slightly. Regina hissed in pain before grabbing Emma's wrist with her other hand to stop the pressure.

"I'm guessing from your current grip on my wrist that hurt?" Emma asked, gently removing her wrist from Regina's grasp.

"Very much so," Regina said. "Please don't do that again."

"Sorry," Emma said. She picked Regina up into her arms bridal style. "Had to check and make sure I wasn't taking you to the hospital for no reason."

"We're going to the hospital?" Regina asked. "Why?"

"Because you need surgery," Emma said. "And very quickly."

Emma paced back and forth in the waiting room, anxious for news from Whale. She had poofed herself and Regina to the hospital, and had called her parents to stay at the mansion in case Henry woke up.

Meanwhile, Emma got to wait in the waiting room alone with nothing but her thoughts to keep her company. She ended up just sitting a chair, thinking about the time where she had been too late to save someone else who was in this same spot.

She had been at a foster home once where a little boy's appendix had ruptured in the middle of the night. Her foster mother had taken the night to spend with her friends, and her foster father was passed out in the bedroom, drunk.

The little boy had been crying from the pain, but Emma and the other foster kids had no idea what to do. The oldest foster kid had suggested taking him to the hospital, but he was 15, and didn't know how to drive a car yet.

Being the rebel and reckless person she was, Emma had volunteered to drive him herself. She, the little boy, and a couple other kids had all piled into the family's truck and headed for the ER.

None of them were sure where it was, but they eventually got there. Emma managed to park the truck without too much damage, and they all ran inside.

The nurses had listened to their story and symptoms before taking the little boy on a stretcher into surgery.

After waiting several hours, the doctor had come out with sad news. The little boy had died because his appendix had ruptured and the toxins had spread to his blood. There had been nothing that they could have done. She hadn't even known his name.

"Emma?" Whale called, waving his hand in front of her face. "Are you okay? You look really pale. Perhaps we should get you checked out."

Emma shook her head to clear her thoughts. "I'm fine. Just thinking. How's Regina?"

Whale looked at her skeptically. "If you say so. She's fine. The surgery went well, and she should recover quickly. Her appendix didn't rupture, which will make it easier on her."

"Can I see her?" Emma asked, standing up.

"I don't think I'd be able to stop you," Whale said, smiling. "Come on back."

Emma smiled at him gratefully before following him to Regina's room. "Take it easy on her," Whale said. "If she starts to fall asleep, say that you have somewhere to be so that she rests. That woman is one of the most stubborn patients I have ever dealt with."

Emma laughed. "That doesn't surprise me at all. Thank you."

Whale nodded before walking away. Emma took a deep breath before opening the door and entering Regina's room. Regina had her eyes closed, so Emma shut the door quietly before taking a seat next to her bed.

"Stop staring at me," Regina mumbled.

Emma laughed. "How are you such a great fake sleeper?"

Regina smiled and opened her eyes. "Years of practice."

"How're you feeling?" Emma asked, reaching out and grabbing Regina's hand.

"I'm fine," Regina said. "Just tired."

"Maybe you should get some rest," Emma suggested.

"And maybe you should stop listening to what Whale has to say," Regina countered, smirking.

Emma laughed. "You really are something."

Regina chuckled. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Several beats passed in silence as Emma held tightly to Regina's hand. She was thankful that this situation was entirely different than the last time she had encountered appendicitis.

"Emma," Regina said, worry laced in her voice. "Are you okay? You just went deathly pale."

Emma smiled. "Whale said that too. I think I'm just worried about you."

"Cute, but wrong answer," Regina said. Emma looked up at her in surprise. "You can lie to anyone else Emma, but you can't lie to me."

Emma sighed. "There was a little boy in a foster family of mine that died from appendicitis. His appendix ruptured, and the toxins got into his blood."

"That's awful," Regina whispered. "I'm sorry you had to be a part of that."

Emma shrugged. "But if it hadn't, I wouldn't have known the signs of appendicitis. Since I did, we were able to get you here in time."

Regina squeezed her hand. "Thank you for that."

"You're welcome," Emma said. She smiled as she saw Regina's eyes starting to close. "You really should get some rest."

"I'm fine," Regina mumbled, her eyes drooping closed.

"I have to go check on Henry anyway," Emma said. "Just get some rest while I'm gone."

"You are such a liar," Regina mumbled. The last thing she heard before she fell asleep was the sound of Emma's laughter.