November 11, 2011 Continued

Graham leads Ada, Emma, and Mary Margaret through the woods, his eyes glued to the ground, tracking the escaped patient, while the women keep their eyes peeled in the surrounding trees.

The Sheriff comes to a sudden stop, and Ada tries to resist groaning in frustration- there is no way that was a good thing.

"What is it?" Emma asks Graham.

"The trial runs out here," Graham tells her, eyes still scanning the ground for further evidence.

Ada actually does groan, "You sure?" the redhead asks, "Because I thought tracking was one of your things."

"Just give me a second," Graham defends, "This is my world. I got it."

Ada looks down at her heels mournfully. Emma, noticing, smirks.

"You could go back to town," the blonde reminds her sister.

Ada grimaces, "As tempting as sidewalks are, I can't leave you to search for a coma patient without me. Also, I can't stop looking for a missing person just because I've got the wrong footwear. On the off chance I can help, I want to be here to do it."

"Damn morals," Emma jokes.

Ada shrugs "At least I've got the damn cast off so I can catch myself when I fall."

They stand in silence for a little while, trying to keep out of Graham's way, when Mary Margaret directs a question at Emma.

"What does he mean, "his world?"" the teacher asks, "I thought finding people was your thing, too?"

"Sure," Emma nods, "Just, people I find usually run places like…Vegas. Not a lot hid in the woods."

"That's an interesting job," Mary Margaret continues, for lack of anything else to talk about, "Finding people. How'd you fall into it?"

Emma shrugs, "Looking for people is just what I've done. As long as I can remember."

"She was the champ at hide-and-seek in every home she ever was in," Ada proudly shares with a grin. Emma rolls her eyes at her sister.

"What made you start? Your parents?" Mary Margaret asks, shifting slightly when her personal questions make Ada glare at the school teacher, protective instincts on the rise, "Henry told me that your… Th-that you were from a similar situation to his own. Did you ever find them?"

"Depends on who you ask," Emma mutters before Ada tosses an arm around her sister.

"She found me instead- a much better prospect," the redhead grins and winks at Emma, who gives a slight smile before turning serious as they hear a crack behind them and turn, eyes peeled for a coma patient.

Instead, they see Henry.

"Henry!" Mary Margaret admonishes, though the stern tone is slightly ruined by the surprise in her voice.

"Did you find him yet?" the boy asks with undiminished enthusiasm.

"No," Emma answers, not sure what to do in this situation, "Not yet. You shouldn't be here."

"Henry- it's late, and the woods can be dangerous. You might've hurt yourself trying to find us!" Ada tells him, stepping forwards as if to see if he had any injuries.

"I can help," Henry says, sidestepping her to look earnestly in Emma's eyes, "I know where he's going."

"And where's that?" Mary Margaret asks, not sure what else to say to that confounding statement.

The boy looks at his teacher, his face perfectly serious, "He's looking for you," he tells her.

Everyone is quiet for a beat. Henry launches into his explanation. "You're the one who woke him up. You're the last one he saw. He wants to find you!"

"Henry, it's not about me," Mary Margaret tried to insist, "I just… I think he's lost and confused. He's been in a coma a long time."

"But he loves you!" Henry practically shouts. "You need to stop chasing him, and let him find you."

"Kid," Emma sighs, remembering that this is a ten year old wandering around the woods alone at night, "You need to go home. Where's your mom? She's going to kill me and then you…and then me again."

"And then me for good measure," Ada chimes in.

"She dropped me at the house," Henry tells them casually, "Then, went right out."

"She left you alone?" Ada asks.

"Well," Henry said, a little offended, "I'm ten. What am I going to do?"

"Apparently run into the woods alone at night," Ada points out, quieting Henry slightly.

"Well," Emma says, hands on hips, "we need to get you back immediately."

"No!" Henry immediately objects.

"Guys!" Graham inserts, lifting something off the ground. It's a hospital bracelet, covered in-

"Is that…" Mary Margaret doesn't complete the question.

"Blood," Emma answers.

They all take off down the trail, Emma giving a nod to her sister, signaling what they need- division of labor. Someone needs to search for John Doe, but someone needs to look after Henry. Ada's heels make her detrimental for tracking down coma patients, but she can protect a ten-year-old. The two sisters make the decision in seconds with a single look. Ada holds Henry back as the other three adults take the lead. Blood is not a good sign, and she knows Henry shouldn't see anything too bad.

"Where is he?" Mary Margaret shouts as they come up to the Toll Bridge, "Can you see him?"

"The trail dies at the water line," Graham answers, and in that moment they all see John Doe lying in the water, apparently drowned.

"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" Mary Margaret says as she continues to move forward, Ada tightens her grip on Henry and holds him back, trying to turn him away from the sight.

"I need an ambulance!" Graham reports to his cell, "At the old Toll Bridge, as soon as possible," as he's talking, Emma, Graham and Mary Margaret drag John Doe to the shore.

"No, no, no, no, no," Mary Margaret chants as she cradles John Doe to her, "No, no, no! I found you!"

"It's going to be okay," Emma assures the teacher.

"Help's coming," Graham tells them all, huddling over the unconscious man.

"Is he okay?" Henry asks, still struggling against Ada's restraining hands.

"Henry," Emma trails off, not wanting to lie, but still wanting to comfort.

"Is he going to be okay?" Henry repeats.

"It's hard to tell right now, Henry," Ada says, still trying to get the boy to look away.

"Henry, don't look. Okay? Don't look," Emma instructs, nodding to Ada, as the blonde kneels down beside the unconscious man.

"Come back to us. Come back to me," Mary Margaret softly says, before starting CPR. When the teacher's mouth comes into contact with the John Doe's, he suddenly gasps, waking up.

"You saved me," he murmurs, looking up at the teacher, his eyes wide.

"She did it," Henry cheers, jumping up and down in Ada's arms, turning to hug her in celebration, "She did it! She woke him up."

"Yeah, kid," Emma gives a small grin, glad for the happy ending, "She did."

"Thank you," John Doe says to Mary Margaret, his eyes having never left her.

"Who are you?" she asks.

John Doe seems to pause for a moment before answering, "I don't know."

"It's okay," Mary Margaret immediately comforts, "You're going to be okay."


As they load John Doe up onto a gurney Emma and Ada exchange another look.

"Ok, kiddo," Ada says, settling her hand on Henry's shoulder, "I'm taking you home before your mom finds out you're missing and Emma's gonna stick with John Doe- make sure everything works out."

"But-"

"No, Henry," Emma immediately scolds, "We're on thin enough ice as it is, and you never should've come out tonight- you could've been hurt."

"But I wasn't," Henry reminds them with a cheeky grin, giving Emma a suddenly flashback to Neal.

"But you could've been. You were very lucky- this whole night was very lucky," Ada inserts, seeing Emma blinking away visions of motel rooms and lock picking lessons, "Now, let's not end it on a sour note with Regina coming down on us all."

"Ok, but I want to know what happens!"

"We'll tell you tomorrow," Ada tells the boy, leading him away towards Mifflin Street, "But it is super late, you should be in bed, safe and warm, and so should John Doe and the rest of us. C'mon, kiddo. You've got a pillow with your name on it. Besides, you've gotta be exhausted hiking through those woods. I know I am."

"You're in heels," Henry immediately points out to her.

"Which is beside the point," Ada shoots back, and Emma gives a small grin as she hears the two gently bickering as Ada leads Henry away.


"Oh, it ended sour," Emma tells Ada when they meet up later by the bug.

"Lemme guess- Queen Bitch was her usual charming self."

"Well, they found John Doe's wife," Emma tells her sister, leaning up against the car.

Ada is silent for a moment, "Just now? That's a bit…odd."

Emma looks at her sister.

"Ok, more than a bit. They found his wife now? He's been in a coma for years- how many, no one seems bothered to count, but years and they just now find his wife?"

"I thought so too. Regina said they went over old tapes and heard him crying out for a "Kathryn" in his sleep, so they found her."

"Hold on- you're telling me this man has been calling a name in his coma and in all the time he's been under, not once, not a single time, has a nurse, doctor, volunteer, or anyone heard him? He's monitored practically twenty-four-seven and no one ever heard him call out this name?"

Emma just shrugged, looking away.

"What?" Ada asks. Emma doesn't respond, "No- I know that face. That's a bad face- I do not like that face. That face comes from something much more than just a weird thing with a coma patient's long-lost wife."

"I followed Regina out of the hospital to talk to her, tell her why I thought it so weird."

"And?"

"She said I should be glad they're back together, because it reminded her how glad she was to have Henry since," Emma sighed, "Not having someone is the worst curse imaginable."

Ada's eyebrow rose. "Does that bitch think she's the only one whose ever shed a tear? What utter-"

"Ada-"

"NO! We know being alone is the worst curse imaginable, we've been alone. You've been alone your whole life, Emma!"

Emma slings an arm around her sister's shoulder, pulling the incised redhead into a hug, "Not since I found you."

Ada, still ready to march into battle, hugged Emma back and muttered into her sister's hair, "And you never will be again. You'll always have me."

Emma lets go of the hug, "Sometimes I almost believe you."

"Someday you will," Ada promises. "We'll probably be ancient and living in the same retirement home organizing wheelchair races, but as long as you get there someday," Emma cracks a grin and Ada smiles as well. "Now, this sleeping in the bug thing-"

Emma sighs immediately, "Alright. I'll go see if Mary Margaret's spare room is still open."

Ada grins and bounces back onto the sidewalk, "There, now was that so hard?"