Chapter 17.
Mary-Margaret rushed through the entrance of the hospital, ignoring the front desk she practically sprinted to her husband, who she spotted ahead of her.
"David! Where is she, where's Rose?" She asked grabbing onto him.
"Whale is with her now." David explained guiding Mary-Margaret to the seats by the side of him.
"What happened?" She asked as the pair sat down.
"We're still piecing that together. So far we know that Rose was at Granny's with Regina, the pair of them left together, so far that's all we know." David finished.
"Well, where's Regina, have you spoken with her yet?" Mary-Margaret asked, looking all around her.
"Emma has gone over to Regina's now; I'm waiting to hear from her." David explained, doing his best to calm his wife.
"Someone attacked Rose, why?" Mary-Margaret asked looking to David.
"We just don't know right now." David sighed as he stood up pacing. Mary-Margaret sat back resting her head back against the wall behind her.
"Mary-Margaret, David." Doctor Whale called them as he came from the emergency room.
"Whale, how is she?" David asked as Mary-Margaret stood beside him.
"Your sister has a sizeable gash to her left side; there was a good amount of blood loss from that, she has a number of bruises, cuts and has obviously been in one hell of a fight with someone." Whale explained.
"Is she awake, can we see her?" Mary-Margaret asked wanting to get passed Whale and to her older sister.
"There's more." Whale said gently raising his hands to halt Mary-Margaret.
"More?" David asked holding onto his wife, wrapping his arm around her waist.
"Rose isn't waking up, she's not responding to anything we have medically tried." Whale explained. "There is no medical reason for why your sister isn't waking up."
"You're saying magic." David said flatly.
"A sleeping curse!?" Mary-Margaret questioned knowing the answer already. Whale nodded.
"It's the only explanation I can think of. I have asked Mother Superior to come and check for certain, see if there is anything she can do to help. We've done everything we can for her to heal her physical wounds, all we can do now is keep her comfortable until the curse is broken." Whale explained before excusing himself and walking away leaving David and Mary-Margaret alone.
"A sleeping curse, David who here would do such a thing, and why?" Mary-Margaret asked as she hugged David tightly.
"I can only think of a couple of people with the ability to do this." David said as he held his wife close.
"David, Mary-Margaret!" Emma called out as she, followed closely by Regina came in to the hospital. "Any news how's Rose?" Emma asked. Mary-Margaret broke away from David as she answered.
"Dr. Whale said that she's been wounded, lots cuts and bruises, which will heal."
"OK, so what else, there's something more, I can tell what is it?" Emma asked folding her arms across her chest.
"Rose isn't waking up, Whale says that there's no medical reason for it." David explained.
"No medical reason, so what, magic?" Emma asked looking to both of her parents.
"Magic, is he sure?" Regina asked surprise in her tone.
"He seems to be, he's having Mother Superior come in to check, see if she can offer any help at all." David answered.
"Can we see her?" Regina asked moving toward where Rose would be.
"We're waiting for Rose to be moved to a room." Mary-Margaret explained.
"Regina, you were the last to see Rose, did you notice anything, was Rose acting at all strangely?" David asked.
"Miss Swan has already been through all of this. No, I didn't notice anything and Rose was fine when she left me." Regina answered in her usual snippy, no nonsense manner.
"Mary-Margaret, you can go through to see her now." Dr. Whale interrupted. "Nurse, please show them through to Rose Red's room." The small group filed through after the nurse, Regina scowling at Whale as she passed him.
The group entered into Rose's room, Mary Margaret went straight to her sister's side, slipping her hand into Rose's.
"Who here, in Storybrooke, would have the power or want to do this to her?" Emma questioned aloud to those in the room. David looked from his sister in-law to his daughter.
"There are only a couple of people I can think of." He replied looking to Regina who stood at the foot of Rose's bed, her eyes never leaving her friend.
"Don't look to me." Regina said, never breaking her eye contact with Rose.
"Gold?" Emma suggested.
"Plausible, do they have a history?" David asked.
"Who doesn't?" Mary-Margaret said taking a seat beside Rose.
"OK, David why don't you and I go and talk to Gold and see if he knows anything." Emma said as she looked back to her aunt. Straightening her back Emma's demeanour changed, she was ready to work and find out who had attacked her family.
David crossed to his wife, kissing Mary-Margaret before he followed after Emma leaving Mary-Margaret and Regina alone with Rose. Stepmother and stepdaughter stood silently as they both looked to Rose who lay peacefully in the hospital bed.
"Why?" Mary Margaret started. "Why would anyone do this to her, what hasn't Rose told us that may have caused this to happen?" She asked anger and frustration seeping through her questioning thoughts. Regina stood and thought on this for a moment, obviously knowing full well who, what and why this had happened.
"Who's to say Rose hasn't told us everything? Bad things can happen to people, even here in Storybrooke, which may have nothing to do with our past lives." Regina explained looking down to her hands as she pulled on her gloves.
"Maybe the area where Rose was found will tell us something?" Mary Margaret suggested, barely acknowledging Regina's thoughts.
"Hasn't David and Emma already searched where Rose was found? What do you hope to find that they missed?" Regina asked, not wanting to go back to the scene where she in fact was the cause of Rose's current state.
"Another set of eyes to look it over, I haven't forgotten my tracking abilities, plus with your magic perhaps can find out something?" Mary Margaret explained. Resolved with her plan Mary Margaret kissed Rose's forehead, turned and quickly left the room leaving Regina alone with Rose. Regina stepped in closer to her friend taking her hand.
"I will fix this." Regina stated. "Rose, I..." Before Regina could finish her sentence Mary Margaret appeared again.
"Regina, are you coming? The sooner we can find who did this then hopefully the sooner we can fix it!" She explained waiting impatiently for Regina to exit the hospital room.
"Alright, alright" Regina sighed; sometimes it took all the strength she had not to fling Mary Margaret across a room or two. Regina squeezed Rose's hand, a kindness that did not go unnoticed by Mary Margaret, before exiting the room swiftly. "Are you coming?" She called back to Mary Margaret who turned on her heel and rushed after her stepmother.
