A.N: This chapter continues right after Ch. 5 so it shouldn't be too confusing. Plus, we finally get to see Henry! No Jefferson in this chapter though, sadly.
Also, the timeline is a little screwy. Chapter one takes place on the night Emma arrives in Storybrooke, and runs into the town sign. And then Chapter's four and five happen right after Emma is released from jail, looking for Henry, etc. So the night of the day of Chapter five is when time begins to move again in Storybrooke, because Emma decides to stay. For this stories purposes I decided not to show any reaction to that night by Persephone, because she had already been affected by Emma's arrival. The main point is, Persephone was asleep in the hospital when time began to move again.
Sorry if that was either really confusing, or just pointless.
Disclaimer: Still own absolutely nothing.
It had been three days since Persephone had been admitted to Storybrooke Hospital. Jefferson had of course, been to visit her every day, but still she was beginning to get stir crazy.
The first two days had just been routine tests, to make sure she wasn't going to go into cardiac arrest or anything. It turned out that her hand had been incredibly damaged from the electrical current, and the nerves had been all but completely destroyed. The rest of her body had experienced the extreme shock as well, and according to Whale, she would have died if she had waited another day to seek treatment.
It scared her to think that she had somehow hurt herself in that way, and even more so that she couldn't remember doing so. Apparently, it worried the Doctors as well, because she had been under constant supervision since her arrival. Doctor Archibald Hopper, Storybrookes resident psychiatrist had also been a frequent visitor to her room, although he came for business rather than a familial visit. She found she didn't care much for his visits, but compliance would ensure a faster release from the hospital.
Today however, had been nice and quiet, allowing Persephone some much needed time to herself. It was nice, without doctors and nurses rushing in every few minutes, checking her vitals and her mental state. It was refreshing to just sit and relax without worrying about blood tests, therapy, or that Alice might spring in any moment to chat her ear off. Apparently though, a certain little boy hadn't received the memo that she was out of service for the day.
"Persephone!" A voice rang out, startling her from her concentration on the television, which was playing Snow White.
"Henry! What are you doing here?" She admonished, because she knew full well that Henry would not be allowed in this ward of the hospital, not to mention the fact that he had school right about now.
"Relax," The little boy said, rolling his eyes at her and climbing on the foot of her bed. "I'm on a field trip with my class."
"Henry, does your teacher know you're here?" Persephone asked, leaning forward and looking the boy right in the eyes. Honestly, she felt a bit like a mother scolding him like that, and finally he began to look a bit sheepish.
"Well, no." Henry admitted, playing with the hem of the hospital sheet. "It's just that I needed to update you on everything that's happened!"
"What's happened?" Persephone asked, turning the volume down on the television because she didn't want to offend him.
"I found my real mom! I went all the way to Boston to get her! And I brought her back here to Storybrooke." Henry exclaimed, eyes lighting up just talking about it. Persephone however, had her mouth agape in shock, staring at the little boy like he was crazy.
"You went all the way to Boston by yourself?" Persephone asked, knowing without a doubt that the mayor would not have condoned this.
"Yep! I even got to ride a Greyhound." Henry said shrugging like the whole situation was no big deal.
"Weren't you scared in a big city all by yourself?" She questioned, knowing that she herself was afraid just going to the store by herself, let alone having to imagine leaving town. At her question, Henry only raised an eyebrow and then shook his head.
"No, I was okay. And then when I met my mom I just knew everything would be fine. I even got her to stay in Storybrooke!" Henry explained to her excitedly. Persephone couldn't help the slight eye roll that escaped her now, especially over the fact that Henry apparently already had his birth mom wrapped around his finger.
"That's great Henry." She was able to manage out, with a slight grimace to her face. It seemed her hand had taken this time to go completely nuts, throbbing with pain even though it had little use.
"What happened to you?" Henry questioned, staring at her bandaged hand with curiosity. Persephone quickly checked around the hospital room to make sure they wouldn't be overheard and answered,
"The doctor's think I'm losing it, I know they do. But I swear I'm not! They say I stuck my hand in an electrical socket, but I didn't! My hand just suddenly got burnt out of nowhere, I swear, there was no explanation. It was weird… and no one believes me."
Henry stared at her for a moment, thoughtful.
"When did your burn appear?" Henry asked, taking out a pad of paper and a pen. She rolled her eyes at his antics, but answered all the same.
"It happened later at night…Oh! It was the night that lady ran over the sign to town!" Persephone remarked, remembering the headline she read in the Daily Mirror.
"You mean my mom? She ran over the sign with her car the night she got here. And THAT can't be a coincidence. Your burn must relate to the curse somehow!" Henry said, while furiously scribbling down notes on his pad of paper.
"What curse?" She asked, before immediately retracting her statement. Persephone had almost forgotten Henrys strange obsession with the fairytales in his book. "Oh- right. The curse. That must be it then." Persephone remarked a little dryly, too preoccupied in her thoughts to act truly believable. Whether or not Henry caught on to her act, he didn't say, for Dr. Whale had picked that moment to suddenly barge in.
"Henry!" He exclaimed, looking a bit stern. She found this a little bit odd on him, considering his often joking and flirtatious demeanor she had witnessed. "Your teacher has been looking everywhere for you." He finished, trying on a stern tone for size. Persephone laughed, but tried to disguise it as a cough, which also earned a glare from the Doctor.
"Henry," A soft feminine voice called out, its owner poking her head into the hospital room. The woman who spoke was Mary Margaret Blanchard, a teacher Persephone vaguely remembered having at some time in her life. It was odd, because while Persephone did remember Miss Blanchard as the school teacher she had once had, the memories of that time of her life seemed fuzzy and distorted. But now Miss Blanchard was Henry's teacher, the one he had skipped out on to find her. Her demeanor however, seemed calm and collected, oddly patient at the fact that Henry had snuck away from her class.
"Henry, you know you're not supposed to be here right?" Miss Blanchard questioned, kneeling down to Henry's level to speak to him.
"Effie's my friend." Henry bluntly stated, shrugging his shoulders. Dr. Whale raised his eyebrows at this comment and then slipped from the room quietly, giving her a pointed look while he did so. Persephone sighed, just as Mary Margaret gave her a bit of a wary glance.
"I know, Henry. I just don't think your mother would want you down here." Mary Margaret commented, raising to her full height, and holding a hand out for the young boy.
"Your teacher's right Henry. Besides I'm getting tired anyway…I'll see you when I get out of her though. I promise." Persephone said a couple tears pricking to her eyes. Luckily, none slipped down her cheeks, and when she blinked they were gone. Henry, however, seemed to have sensed her change in demeanor. The little boy bounded over to her bed, giving her a large hug around her midsection. She smiled to herself, and hugged him back, even though out of the corner of her eye she caught the concerned glances of some of the nurses.
"Alright, back to your field trip." She was able to choke out, releasing her hold from Henry. He nodded, and followed Miss Blanchard out of the room, who turned to glance back at her a few times before she was out of sight.
Persephone closed her eyes and allowed a few tears to drip down her cheeks. When she finally opened her eyes Dr. Whale was back in the room, studying her carefully.
"Dr. Whale…will it ever get better? Or will people always see me like this no matter how hard I try?" Persephone questioned, her large grey eyes meeting the Doctors steady gaze. The Doctor smiled, and then pulled up a chair next to her bed.
"It will get better, Effie. I promise." Whale remarked, smiling as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a deck of playing cards. "But until then…you get to stay here with me. And continue to kick my butt at poker."
Persephone smirked, and allowed Whale to deal the first round of cards. This might end up still being a good day.
As it turned out, Persephone did beat Dr. Whale in almost every round of cards, despite her ailment. While Persephone smiled, Dr. Whale groaned and pulled out a fistful of candy from his coat pocket.
"You cheat." The doctor argued, even as he tossed the candy onto her bed.
"I do not!" She cried, reaching forward and grabbing a handful of sweets. "I just have really good luck." She said cooly, shrugging her shoulders. Dr. Whale laughed, but their banter was cut short by a loud beeping noise. The doctor sighed, and pulled out his pager, glancing quickly at it.
"Well, gotta run. Emergency." The doctor explained, standing up from his chair and striding to the door.
"Have fun!" Persephone called sarcastically, leaning into her pillows, a bit tired herself.
"Tons," Whale replied dryly, before pausing with his hand on the doorknob. "Wait. Persephone, how did you become friends with Henry in the first place?"
"Well, we both go to see Dr. Hopper for therapy. I guess…he could just see that I needed a friend." She replied, looking down at the hospital bed sheets.
"Yeah. I think he needs a friend too." The doctor said softly, before giving her one last smile and exiting the room.
It had been a good day after all.