Chapter 8
'Lunch With Henry'
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"She's home!" Henry heard called out from the hallway. He'd asked Kathryn to watch for his mom. She was late. It was five minutes past the time she said she would be home. That wasn't like his mother. Kathryn had tried to insist he not worry so much that it would just make him sicker but it didn't work. He was still worried. He sat in his favorite recliner with Mr. Brownie snuggled up against the side of the chair, his legs curled up behind him. The foot rest of the recliner wasn't even up because he was still able to fit on the seat itself.
Henry's eyes brightened as he waited for his mother to come in to greet him. She'd ask him where they were going to have lunch. It used to be that they had to eat at the kitchen table or dining room table no matter what but now she let him decide. He could eat in here while listening to music—she drew the line at watching television—or they could eat at the kitchen table or dining room table.
He was glad that his mom always came to him now because he didn't have enough energy to go say hello to her in the front hall and then walk back here to the living room only to walk somewhere else later. He saved his energy for what was important; like his needed trips to the bathroom. He hated throwing up into the basin that sat at the side of the recliner more than he hated doctor's appointments. And he really hated doctor's appointments.
Henry offered a small tired smile as his mother walked into the living room. The smell from the bag she held made his stomach turn even as it growled. That, sadly, was the norm for him. He was hungry but he wasn't sure if he could keep anything down.
The food smelled delicious, it reminded him of the Sunday breakfasts he used to have every week with his mom. He liked those Sundays. They'd do whatever her wanted for the day. It was the one day a week that he never had to share his mom with anyone. They'd go to Granny's for breakfast and sometimes even lunch but then they'd come back home because even while off duty there was always something or someone that needed his mom's attention. Sundays were his day. They still were, even if he had a doctor's appointment or wasn't feeling well. It was just him and his mom. Unless he asked for Graham or nurse Kathryn to join them.
Today wasn't Sunday though and today wasn't his day alone with his mom. Today was just another weekday. He knew it was a special one though. He could tell. His mom was going to tell him that it was time.
They had talked about it once before.
He was a smart kid, everyone said so. He could read people well. He knew the deeper meanings to certain actions, meanings that other kids missed sometimes.
When things had gotten bad.
Really bad.
Worse than when he'd caught pneumonia that one winter, he had asked his mom if it was time.
She hadn't understood what he was talking about. He was coming in and out of consciousness. He was weak. His voice soft. Softer than a whisper. He forced a smile. He stared into his mom's eyes and took her hand.
And he asked her if it was time for him to leave. 'The hospital?' she'd asked. He'd shook his head and stared at her, his eyes trying to find something in her very soul. She whimpered a broken sob as she realized what he was talking about.
Death. Was it time for him to die, to go to heaven? Was it time to stop fighting and finally rest?
She told him that it wasn't time. That it wasn't his time. She promised that when it was his time, when it was time to stop, she'd tell him. He made her swear on her favorite thing in the world, (he'd thought it was her car, he never realized she'd sworn it on his life) that if the time came that he had to stop fighting came, she'd tell him to his face. She made the promise. She swore on her favorite thing in the world and he'd fallen asleep. He fell asleep to the sound of her promises that if it was time, she'd tell him and the gentle swipe of her thumb moving back and forth across his hand. She'd sobbed, without tears, and held his hand and rested her head on his shoulder for a long time after that.
Today was going to be the day that she told him it was time. He could tell. The way she had looked at him last night, the way she had cried in her sleep, he sighed. It was time. She just didn't know how to tell him but she'd promised him that she would. So she was going to tell him. He'd hoped that, well he'd hoped that the savior would come but she wasn't here and it was time. He wasn't afraid. Not anymore. He was ready. Ready for whatever the future held for him.
Except, she was smiling. She was giving him a bright smile as she made her way into the living room with the bag of food. Nurse Kathryn took the bag from her hands so she could come and sit next to him. That…didn't make sense. He watched her carefully, wondering what was going on.
"Hello dear, how are you feeling?" He sighed exasperated; she always asked that even when she already knew the answer. Nurse Kathryn would give her updates on how he was feeling every day, every two hours on the hour. Still, he always answered her because he knew she was worried and wanted to hear how he was doing from him. Not someone else.
"Tired and achy. I was able to keep down breakfast though." He watched her smile widen, if that were possible, and followed her as she sat on the arm of the recliner he was resting in. She leaned over and gave his forehead a kiss, her hand sifting through his spiky practically none existent hair.
He'd had most of his hair shaved off before the transplant with Ms. Blanchard because he'd been losing it with the chemotherapy. It had started to grow back a little since the surgery though. Sadly with the new rounds of chemo started up again he knew he was probably going to lose it again.
He didn't mind so much. Not anymore. The first time he saw the hair on his pillow he was okay. The doctor had explained his hair would start to fall out, but that it was a good thing because then they knew the medicine, chemo, was working. He was young enough to believe the doctor who'd only been trying to make him feel better, to feel hopeful.
It wasn't until he was losing more and more hair by the day and the tumors weren't shrinking or they kept coming back that he'd been upset. He'd cried and thrown a fit worthy of a gold medal. He pulled out his IV, threw the IV pole with the bags of antibiotic and fluids to the ground, tore off the wires attached to his chest and even pushed his mom off the side of the hospital bed. He'd been so angry he'd pushed her right off the edge, she hadn't been expecting it and fell roughly to the ground but he hadn't cared, hadn't apologized. The nurses rushed in when his monitors 'flat-lined', so did Ruby and Ms. Blanchard who'd been there to visit him.
It was a fit he wasn't proud of. Not at all. He could still remember the heartbroken look on his mom's face as she stared up at him from the floor. The nurses were going to sedate him when she'd stood up and pushed them away from him. She had the scariest look on her face that he'd ever seen. She wouldn't let the nurses even consider 'sedating him like some animal'; her words exactly.
He hadn't seen how she was just trying to protect him. To give him this tantrum to let out his emotions and his fear and anger. He was just so angry all the time back then. He screamed at his mom the whole time. He told her it was her fault he was sick, her fault he wasn't getting better. He told her that he hated her.
And still, still, she went to him, let him beat against her chest, shoulders and even let him kick and slap her. She didn't let go of him. She wrapped her arms around him and told him how much she loved him, how sorry she was and how she promised to make this right. He'd calmed down enough to let the nurses and doctor's put back his IV and the heart monitor wires. All the while he clung to his mom and cried against her shoulder.
It wasn't long after that day that he started having regular sessions with Dr. Hopper.
That had been the first time he realized that he might not get one of the fairytale happily ever after endings like the people in Ms. Blanchard's books. It was also the ready why Ms. Blanchard presumably brought his new favorite book in to read to him instead. This book had different endings, deeper in-depth stories where good and evil both won sometimes. He liked this book more than the others because it seemed more real. In it bad things happened to good people and sometimes those bad things never went away, never got better. But in others? In others things got better, so much better.
"Well I have your toast."
"With jam?"
"Fresh homemade jam." Kathryn announced as she walked into the living room with a tray full of their food.
"You sounded just like Granny…" Henry giggled, even as he sat up straight knowing the tray was going to be put over the arms of his recliner so he could eat here.
"Well thank you, thank you…" Nurse Kathryn bowed her head as if she were doing so for an audience. Then again, Henry thought he was a pretty decent audience since he even applauded and laughed at the theatrics.
His mom kissed his forehead again, rolling her eyes at their antics, before she stood up and let nurse Kathryn put the tray across the arms of the chair just like he knew she would. He scrunched his nose up at the salad and the sandwich with bacon on it. He hadn't had bacon in a long time and the smell of it made him sick to his stomach more so than a lot of other foods.
Both women took their lunches off the tray quickly, putting them down on the coffee table which they both kneeled in front of. His mom refused to buy snack tables, preferring that they either eat their meals in the kitchen at the counter or table or in the dining room. The trays were for special occasions when they wished to have breakfast in bed or they had been before.
Sipping slowly at his chicken broth he kept a close eye on the two women. Their conversation was simple. They talked about what the plans were for the rest of the week, how his mom wasn't going to be going into the office tomorrow and the upcoming elections for Mayor.
"So the election is coming up pretty soon. Any rumors about an opponent this time?"
"No, I think after the fiasco with Leroy that my office is safe."
"Oh that had been rather entertaining. Everyone truly thought he was going to stake a claim for a ballot. He slurred about it enough at Mikes." Nurse Kathryn shook her head as she grinned over the shared remembrance.
He couldn't remember a time when his mom wasn't the Mayor of Storybrooke and he figured that was because no one ever ran against her. No one here knew any different. Who else would be up to the job? Henry couldn't really think of anyone off the top of his head but then again he already knew why no one else ever ran against his mom.
He nibbled on his toast and jam, he'd finished almost all of the broth and was enjoying his treat as the topic moved away from politics and work towards medical things. He should have known it would go from one boring topic to the next. He played close attention to his mom as they talked about her supposed meeting with Mr. Whale, looking for any clue, any hint of what was to come. Instead of focusing on the meeting with Dr. Whale and explaining what the good doctor told her during the meeting like she always did she talked about how on the way to the hospital she nearly hit Charley Dalton with her car.
Odd. Usually after a solo visit to Dr. Whale he was learning what he could and couldn't do until his next checkup, which was now scheduled for tomorrow.
"Oh my, is…" Nurse Kathryn gasped at the news of his mom's near miss.
"He was fine. Carla was more shaken up then he seemed to be."
"Well, thank goodness, he's alright." Nurse Kathryn truly seemed relieved over the turn of events. Henry was too, even if he was having a little trouble picturing who Charley Dalton was.
There was a knock at the door. "Who's that?" Henry wondered if he should have been expecting someone else.
"That should be Graham." Nurse Kathryn grinned as he hid his smile behind his toast. The way her eyes lit up at just the thought of seeing her boyfriend sometimes made him want to gag, but today it just seemed nice. He chanced a look at his mom and saw her roll her eyes as Kathryn stood up to get the door.
"Don't touch those dishes!" Kathryn warned from the doorway, stopping his mom cold in her half bent over position of grabbing up their dishes from lunch.
"She caught you." Henry giggled as his mom turned her head to give him a wink and a conspiratorial smirk.
"Well if she asks, you brought them inside."
He crossed his heart as he watched her leave the room with everyone's dishes except his tray and plate for the toast he was still munching on.
"Well, hello there young master Henry." Graham greeted as he stepped into the room. Henry noticed that Graham was almost as uncomfortable while in this house as Ms. Blanchard and Ms. Blanchard was hardly ever in the house for longer than a half an hour. Usually just to drop something off for him, chat, and then rush off because his mom made her nervous. His mom made a lot of people nervous. The only person who wasn't as nervous around his mom as everyone else was Kathryn—she'd stopped being nervous around mom around the time she practically moved into the house—and Mr. Gold.
"Sherriff! Did you bring me anything?" He asked as he noticed the brown drug store bag held in the Sherriff's hands.
"Henry!" Regina admonished as she stepped into the room dish free.
"What's this?" Nurse Kathryn asked as she pointed to the empty coffee table.
"An antique coffee table. I can show you where to buy one of your own, dear, if you'd like?"
"Hardy har har…" Nurse Kathryn rolled her eyes as she sat down on the loveseat across from the couch and recliner. "Save it Mayor. I'm on to you."
"Did you hear that Watson? She's on to us." Regina gasped, a hand grasping her shirt above her heart as the other pressed the back of her palm against her forehead in exaggeration.
"Hey, how come I'm Watson?" Henry complained.
His mom squeezed his shoulder before taking the seat on the couch closest to his chair. "I'm sorry dear. You can be Sherlock next time."
Henry shrugged, turning back to Graham who was still standing a bit awkwardly at the far end of the coffee table. "So, did you get me anything?" he asked again with his biggest charming smile.
"Henry…" His mom complained again.
"What, he has something from the drug store. Usually that means it is medicine or something cool for me."
"He does have a point, Regina."
"That is beside the point."
"I think that it's exactly the point. At least for Henry. Did you even notice that Graham was carrying something?"
"Of course I did."
"And when you saw it what did you think it was?"
His mom glared as Nurse Kathryn stole a glance at him to wink. He just finished off his toast while his mom and her best friend—because Kathryn was her best friend—bickered.
"I thought that it was something for Henry." His mom finally conceded.
Henry grinned as Kathryn leaned back against the back of the couch, as if to say, I rest my case.
"Uhh, hmm…" Graham cleared his throat as he stiffly stepped up to Henry on his recliner and passed his the brown bag. "I hope this is the one you wanted."
Henry took the comic out of the bag slowly and gasped at the cover. He pulled the entire bag against his chest and nodded his head, "Yes, yes it is. Oh this is awesome! Mom look…" Henry held out the comic to show his mom the colorful display of Ultimate Comics: X-Men.
"That's great, Henry." His mom offered a wide smile, even as the slight crease across her forehead told him she had no idea why this was such a great present. He sighed, not everyone could be a comic book fan. It wasn't one of the originals but it was the extended story arc after Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man series where Spider Man died in the final battle against Norman Osborn.
"Thanks Sherriff Graham!" Henry would have stood up and offered the Sherriff a big hug if he could. Hopefully his smile portrayed that.
"No problem bud. Let me know if it's any good."
"I will. I promise." He didn't waste any time, he opened the comic book to start reading right there.
"Henry, there's something that we need to talk about before you read that. Sherriff Graham doesn't have a lot of time before he goes back to the station." His mom began as she put a hand over his arm lowering the comic book.
He looked from his mom to the first page and then sighed. Wondering if he could somehow convince his mom to let him read this first. Seeing her incline her head a little and hold his gaze he knew he wasn't going to get to read this before they had a 'family' meeting. They didn't call them family meetings but Henry did. They might as well be called family meetings since Nurse Kathryn and Sherriff Graham were as integral to him as his mom sometimes. He closed the comic book and put it on his lap.
Nurse Kathryn took the lunch tray into the kitchen, giving him a minute along with his mom as Sherriff Graham followed her.
"It's about the test results, isn't it?" Henry asked softly, looking down at his fingers. His moms fingers moved across his own and grasped his hand gently. Looking up into her eye he didn't see the same sadness that he'd seen when Dr. Whale read off his numbers at his last appointment.
"In a way, yes it is about the test results."
He nodded, biting his bottom lip as he looked down at his lap. "Is it about your trip?"
There was a pause, "Yes, it is about my trip."
He squeezed his eyes closed. "You couldn't find her."
The sound of his mom gasping didn't surprise him. He wasn't supposed to know why she had left or where she had gone, but he did. He'd seen the directions to Boston left up on the computer browser the morning after she'd left. What had surprised him was the name of the woman his mom was looking for. Before the surgery he had asked Ms. Blanchard for a favor. He had asked for her help in finding his birth mother. He'd planned on going to find her and bring her back to Storybrooke himself. That was before. He'd hoped the transplant would be successful and he could bring her to Storybrooke to break the curse. But the transplant didn't go as well as they'd all hoped. He'd gotten her name.
Emma. Emma Swan.
It was the same name that was left on the post it on the desk. No, his mom hadn't left the post it there. But she'd written so hard on the top post-it that she'd left an indention of the name on the post-it beneath it.
"Henry…"
"I know you went looking for my birth mother." He admitted as he looked up with only his eyes to judge his mom's reaction to his words. "I looked her up before the surgery. I wanted to go and find her."
"You…I…how…" The devastation was clear upon his mom's face and he just wanted to make it go away. She'd had enough heartbreak in her life, a lot of it caused by him, she didn't need any more of it. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset. It wasn't anything bad. I just wanted to meet her. I thought, I thought that if she met me that…that maybe she'd stay."
Regina stood up slowly from the couch, her back to Henry as she did. She didn't move far though, only a step away from him.
"Mom, I'm sorry!" He felt tears burn his eyes as he watched his mom's shoulders slump. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything bad by it. I just wanted to meet her. I wanted her to know me…just in case." His shoulders fell in the same manner as his mom's had.
Just in case…just in case…
He didn't see his mom slowly turn around to look at him, her eyes glassy as she stared softly at him, her hands unclenching slowly at her side. Just in case…
Her eyes closed for a moment and she took a deep breath. She had to accept that her son had gone looking for his birth mother. Whatever the underlying intentions were, he was aware that she had gone to see Ms. Swan, and he believed that she had not found her.
A part of her wanted to tell Henry that she had found Ms. Swan, that she'd begged the woman to come to Storybrooke with her to help him, and that she had refused. That she had left empty handed and completely destroyed in the wake of her failure. She wanted to make Ms. Swan seem like the selfish woman she had been. Not a woman to idolize or want to meet and to stay here and be a part of their lives.
"I, Henry its alright." Regina assured as efficiently as she could. It would be alright. This was something that she would need to speak with him about in detail, later. How could he know his birth mother's name? It had taken her a great deal of digging and a few favors to even have the records unsealed. What kind of resources did a ten year old boy have to grant him the knowledge before her?
"Is it…?" Henry asked his voice broken by his whimper.
"Yes, it's alright." Regina sat on the edge of his chair once again and pulled him against her and held him close, soothing him. "I'm not angry. I'm just surprised, and…" She swallowed, "…a little hurt. No," She stopped him from commenting or trying to explain his motives again. "No, I trust you, dear." She trusted that he had never meant to hurt her in actively looking for his birth mother.
Just in case…
The words echoed in her mind as she dropped her nose to the top of Henry's head. She missed the way he used to smell. There was something about his scent now that lacked the…brightness and excitement, the life, it'd once had before.
"That is something I also wish to speak with you about."
Henry sniffed as he used the back of his hand to wipe away the tears from his cheeks. "Ye..ah..?" He hiccupped a little.
"Yes." Regina took a moment to collect her thoughts. "One thing at a time."
"Okay…"
"First, we have a newly scheduled appointment for you tomorrow morning with Dr. Whale."
Henry nodded. That wasn't something he didn't expect. He had been getting worse up until today, today was one of his good days. To have another appointment made sense to him. "Second, my trip was to Boston seeking out your birth mother."
"Did you find her?" He asked his eyes lighting up, the tiniest amount.
Regina looked to the side, away from his shining eyes. She heard Kathryn suck in a deep breath from behind her. Chancing a look over her shoulder she saw Kathryn and Graham standing in the doorway looking at them. Graham's hand on Kathryn's lower back.
"Yes, I found her." Regina answered as she turned back to Henry.
"You did? Is she here? What did she say? Can I meet her? What's…"
Regina raised a single hand up and Henry's questions quieted and then stopped all together. He looked between Regina's hand to her face, wiggling in his seat in anticipation. "We will discuss whether or not you can meet with her." Now she felt more reservations about allowing the two to meet knowing Henry was so interested in doing so. "With the close adoption there are, well there will need to be a new contract written between the two of us that will allow her visitation rights to see you." If she even wanted them. When it came to Ms. Swan Regina wasn't sure of anything.
"Oh, well okay cool!" Henry didn't really understand why there needed to be a contract written up so that his birth mom could come and see him. He was just truly excited about meeting her at all. The legalities he'd leave to his mother.
"Yes…" Regina's grimace made clear what she thought of the word, "…cool."
"Is that all you wanted to talk to me about? The big family meeting?" He asked after there was a few minutes of silence. Nurse Kathryn and Graham made their way back to the love seat and were sitting down across from them.
Regina made no comment about the 'family meeting' usage, this time around. "Yes, for now that is all." Until she spoke to Dr. Whale and received the final word from him about the transplant that was all there was to talk about.
"Good…cause uhm…" Henry's face went from very red, from all the excitement about his birth mom being in town, to being very pale and green about the gills.
Regina and Kathryn were both up and out of their seats at the sight. Regina on her knees, grabbing up the basin that always sat by the edge of where Henry was sitting. Kathryn took it from her and allowed Regina to rub at Henry's back as he leaned over and lost most of his lunch.
Regina closed her eyes as she tried to ease the taught tension in Henry's back as he retched again and again. As he leaned back he was out of breath and his eyes droopy, exhausted. His hands trembled as he shivered. Regina pulled up the duvet and wrapped it around him as she pulled him into her arms and let him snuggle in against her. Kathryn took the basin to empty and clean it.
"It's alright…it's alright…" Regina soothed as Henry softly cried against her shoulder.
She knew, without Henry having to say a word that he was devastated that his good day was coming to an end. Holding his frail underweight body against her own as tight as she dared, Regina prayed this would be the last of his bad days. Humming softly she felt Henry's body slowly relax against hers, his breathing slowing down as it evened out and he fell asleep.
Regina prayed hat Emma Swan could save her son and maybe, just maybe, while she was at it, Ms. Swan could save her as well.
End Chapter Eight
Author's Note: No real excuse for why this chapter took so long to post. I've actually had it written for several weeks but didn't want to post it until I had completed the next chapter. However with school back in session and this being my last ditch effort to get my degree I have very limited free time. Still, I thought it would be best to post this chapter and see what you all thought. I hope you enjoy(ed) it.
Also, for any SwanQueen diehards out there, AfterEllen is having a Femslash madness contest and Regina/Emma has made it to the semi-finals. However they are up against Rizzoli/Isles and are losing. :-( So I bring you this chapter and a link in hopes that you'll attempt to bridge the widening gap and show some true SwanQueen worship. ;) www. afterellen content/ 2012/09/ afterellencom-ultimate-femslash-madness-tourney-round-four-voting? page =0% 2C0 ==just remove the spaces