Chapter Nine- Caterpillar

"I don't know. I won't have people running in and out of either Henry or Emma's life. He had become attached to you also, he said he thought you were his friend." Regina shook her head in disbelief.

"I am his friend, I just had a momentarily lapse in judgment. Please Regina." Ruby looked up her with bright green eyes, that in a way reminded her of Emma's and Henry's but the brunette woman's were a more vibrant green. Emma's eyes were a mixture of greens and blues, and depending on if she was in the sun or not, they appeared gray.

"All these are, are words. I need to see you put in the effort first." Regina looked away.

"I will." Ruby promised as she gently grabbed the older woman by the chin. Green eyes locked on brown, and Ruby could see the frustration clearly.

"Stop. Your girlfriend is just down the hall." Regina broke away once more but Ruby grabbed for her shirt.

"I don't care about her right now! I'm worried about you." Ruby argued

"And I'm worried about Emma." Regina shot back watching Ruby visibly recoil.

"What, you don't think I am too?" You could hear the hurt in Ruby's voice.

"Let's just go back and see how she's doing. My son and godson are terrified right now." Regina shook her head, not answering the question. As they walked back, they could see Robin and Marian arguing loudly and both of the boys crying.

"What is going on here?" Regina rushed over, while glaring at her best friend and his ex.

"Mama she called you a bad word!" Henry tattled, running into his mothers arms

"Why don't you stay in a child's place and out of grown people's conversations?" Marian spoke sternly to the child who hid behind his mothers legs. Before Regina could even fix herself to reply, Ruby had joined in.

"Marian you need to leave, now!" The younger woman crossed her arms over her chest as she eyed down what was soon to be her ex girlfriend.

"Are you seriously choosing some whore over me?" Marian hissed as Henry sobbed loudly.

"Stop saying that!" Henry stamped his foot, before taking a step forward.

"What? It's true! Your mother is-" Marian was cut off by Roland kicking her in the knee.

"You can't talk about my TT like that!" The boy glared at his mother.

"Roland! I am your mother!" Marian gasped.

"Nu uh , you left me! I don't gots a Mama no more. Just a papa!" Roland argued.

"Did you tell him that?" Marian looked at Robin sadly

"No, he formed his own opinion based off the numerous times you blew him off to hang with her." Robin pointed at Ruby who held up her hands

"I never stopped her from seeing her son! She said you would change your mind when you realized I was coming! I told her to go without me! However you didn't seem to care much about any of that when you two would check into a motel using my credit card!" Ruby shot back, watching Marian and Robin flinch

"Ruby..." Marian started

"No, both of you screwed up your own family! Don't blame it on me or Regina or even the kids. We shouldn't even be doing this in front of them." Ruby hissed lowly, so the children couldn't make out what she was saying.

"She's right." Robin admitted after a moment.

"Robin just take the kids back to my place. I'm going to call my parents to come watch Henry for the night. The rest of you can leave!" Regina dismissed them

"Mama I want to stay!" Henry whined.

"I know baby boy but you're to little to go into Emma's room." Regina rubbed his back.

"But she's my little sister. I'm bigger, I can go!" Henry argued

"Henry you have to be thirteen years old to go inside. You're only six. Now go with Robin and wait for Papa and Nona at home." Regina said firmly. Henry pouted but ultimately left with Robin.

"What are you still doing here?" Regina asked Marian in a tired tone.

"I'm waiting on my girlfriend!" Marian seethed.

"In case you missed the part where I said I know about you and your ex, I'll break it down for you. We're done, okay. You can go screw whomever you want on some other dude's dime." Ruby crossed her arms over her chest

"Are you breaking up with me?" Marian gasped.

"It's something I should have done a long time ago. Have a nice life." Ruby said coldly, watching tears form in Marian's eyes before the brunette stomped off.

"Well not that this wasn't fun and all, because believe me it certainly was the high light of my day but I'm going to get going." Regina said sarcastically.

"Regina please...can I stay?" Ruby pleaded, her bottom lip quivering slightly.

"I'm not sure that's the best idea." Regina replied hesitantly

"Please I just- I need to see her. Please." Ruby was down right begging as Regina studied her.

"You have twenty minutes and that's it." Regina caved before walking down towards Emma's room.

"Hey Moon baby, its RooRoo." Ruby spoke softly to Emma, standing beside the tots crib. Emma's heart monitor sped up slightly when Ruby caressed her hand. The sound caused Ruby to flinch away.

"Normally the person would be able to hear you, but Emma's deaf. I think she can still sense you're here." Regina explained to the frightened woman.

"Yeah yeah of course." Ruby let out a deep breath.

It had been three days before Emma began to breath on her own. Ruby was at a job interview of some sort when Regina watched the pain staking process of the breathing tube being pulled out of her toddlers esophagus. Emma's body protested, lifting off the bed violently when it was finally free but soon settled down. Regina was waiting by her bed for the tot to wake up so she could see those vibrant green eyes.

"mmmmmmm" Emma whined, her head tossing from one side to the next. She was sweating but Dr. Whale told Regina that was to be expected, that the child's body was still under stress but she was getting better. Suddenly fearful green eyes popped open in a haze, as her eyes went from one side of the room to the next quickly.

"Mama!" Emma moaned out and Regina's heart clenched. Knowing that Emma had only called two people Mama, Ruby and Mary-Margret, and neither of them were here hurt her heart. But Emma's quickly locked eyes with her as her cries became more frantic.

"Mama...Mama here!" Emma whined, her voice raspy from disuse.

"Baby Mommy's here" Regina cooed down to the toddler, brushing sweaty locks from her forehead.

"Mama up!" Emma sobbed, holding out her arms. Regina was unsure about moving the girl especially with the feeding tube still inserted in her stomach but she didn't have too much time to dwell on it, as Dr. Whale and two nurses came in.

"I see our favorite little sleeping beauty." Dr. Whale walked briskly over to the crib before lowering one side of it.

"Mama!" Emma screamed loudly, as Dr. Whale tried to shush her while checking her vitals.

"Shush baby girl, Mama can hold you in one second...From the sound of those lungs I could say she's fine but you know...procedure." Dr. Whale trailed off before he lifted Emma and handed her to Regina.

The blonde's sobs died down but she was still hiccuping.

"Just be careful of the feeding tube for now. I'll have Jenny clean it up once she's calm and everything." Dr. Whale patted Regina's shoulder

"Does she even still need the feeding tube? She's awake now." Regina's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Yes, Most kids tend to suffer from eating anxieties after something as traumatic as this. If she shows signs of positive eating, I'll remove it but right now she has gained three pounds on the formula she is being fed." Dr. Whale gave her a small smile before his pager had him leaving. Regina walked over to her purse and sat down on her chair. Pulling out Emma's aids, she slipped them in for the girl before she began humming softly.

"Mama I wan Henny." Emma rubbed furiously at her eyes, tired even though she had been technically asleep for days.

"Mommy will call Robin to see if he can drop Henry off." Regina assured Emma, holding her firmly to her chest.

"Not Mommy, Mama." Emma shook her head looking at Regina.

"You want to call me Mama?" Regina asked

"Henny call you Mama...RooRoo no be my Mama. You be my Mama." Emma pouted.

"Ruby came to see you but you were sleep." Regina informed the tot.

"No care." Emma shrugged her shoulders.

"You don't care?" Regina frowned

"RooRoo no like me, I no like her." Emma crossed her arms over her chest.

"Baby Ruby loves you." Regina sighed

"No uh, her no wan be my Mama. Her no wan be friend! Just wan you and Henny! NO ROWEN!" Emma's face scrunched up and Regina could help but to laugh and cry at the same time. This little girl had almost died a couple of days ago and now she was back to being her spunky self since before Ruby's disappearance.

"Roland wants to see you. To say sorry for the candy. Ruby is coming by to see you later, so she can give her little buggy love." Regina tickled Emma under her armpits earning a giggle.

"Moon baby?" Ruby rushed into the room. Dressed in fishnet stockings, a skin tight pencil skirt that caressed her rear end, a red blouse covered by a dark gray blazer. Despite her initial reaction to hearing about Ruby, Emma's head snapped to the door and she tried to wiggle out of Regina's lap.

"RooRoo? Mama down!" Emma pointed towards the floor.

"Ruby can come over here if she wants to see you. Try not to move so much baby." Regina shook her head at the tot, who seemed to gain some of her anger at Ruby back. The child's mood bouncing all around the place.

"Go way, no wan you here!" Emma glared slightly at Ruby

"I guess I deserve that Bug, I just needed to see my little Moon baby." Ruby spoke softly, walking towards the two of them, her heels clicking on the floor.

"You leaved me." Emma pouted

"I know I did Bug, I'm very sorry." Ruby pouted back kneeling in front of the tot.

"You leave Mama and Henny too." Emma pointed out causing Ruby to look up at Regina.

"Yes and I'm very sorry for that to." Ruby apologized but her eyes never left the other brunette.

"You make me sad." Emma's bottom lip quivered as Ruby leaned in carefully to hug the tot.

"I'm so sorry baby. I'm sorry." Ruby kissed her head over and over as Emma clung to her neck but still sat in Regina's lap. When Emma let go because the position tugged on her feeding tube Ruby pushed some of Emma's mid-back length hair over her shoulder.

"You two have a beautiful family." The nurse Jenny said as she walked in with the materials to clean Emma up.

"Thank you." Ruby said before Regina could object. The older brunette looked at Ruby curiously but Ruby just held her gaze intently.

"How about we get the little princess cleaned up, so she can cuddle with her Momma's, hmm?" Jenny hummed.