If there was one thing Hatter hated about this world it was hospitals. They were so bright, sterile and devoid of emotion. Hospitals made him think Wonderland under the Queen of Hearts was a walk in the park.

He had been awake for 72 hours. He was sitting in the same blue, plastic chair for 5 of them. He just watched that door waiting for someone to come out and tell him what was happening. It felt like only a moment ago he was screaming at a nurse to look at Alice.

"We don't have time to wait! Look at her!" he had bellowed at the nurse.

"Sir, you need to…" the nurse's eyes drifted to Alice who was shrieking in pain and covered in blood. "Oh dear God! What happened?"

Hatter closed his eyes for a moment to stop them from burning any more. He needed a happy thought. He thought about the day he married Alice.

They actually got married twice. It was Alice's idea. The first wedding was in a big church surrounded by Alice's whole family on the 2 year anniversary of their first kiss. Alice had never looked prettier in her white dress. She looked like a portrait of the White Queen come to life. They said their vows and all of Alice's family gave Hatter that look of "Where are you from again?" meaning that his vows sounded like gibberish. But he didn't care, Alice understood him. That was all that mattered to him.

The second wedding was a week later in Wonderland. Alice knew Hatter was craving a visit and a honeymoon there seemed like the perfect time. They had been away for 2 years. They both assumed that a lot of time had passed in Wonderland.

But it hadn't. Wonderland hadn't moved forward a day since Alice's departure. It was frozen in time. Alice noticed but it didn't bother her nearly as much as it did Hatter. The King, Jack, came to greet them with a haggard look but kept a smile to please Alice. Something was amiss in Wonderland but it wasn't the time to dwell. Hatter had a bride to tend to. He swept her up into her arms and carried her to the remains of his tea shop and old home.

They didn't do much adventuring that week. While they stopped by to see Charlie and a few of Hatter's old colleagues, they spent most of their days and nights in the bedroom enjoying the time out of noisy New York City. No jobs, no people, no hassle. Just good ol' fashion family fun in Hatter's old bed.

A squeaking wheelchair rolled by and Hatter opened his eyes. Back to reality. He pressed his palms against his eyes and tried to stay awake. Any more of this waiting and he really would go mad.

The door opened and a nurse peeked out. Hatter sat straight up ready to bolt in there to Alice's side. She needed him, he knew it. He just needed permission. They wouldn't allow him into the surgery area. Something about trauma and blood. Hatter didn't care. He just wanted to be by her side.

The nurse caught another doctor's arm and said in a hushed voice, "We need help in here. This isn't looking good."

Hatter's eyes stopped burning. They were wide open and filling with tears. This was all somehow his fault. He should have stayed in Wonderland when she left originally. He did this to her. He brought this on her. He wasn't sure how or why but he blamed himself for everything that was happening. Alice had looked at him with wild eyes before she was whisked away. He kissed her on her forehead and said as calmly as he could manage, "I'll be right outside if you need me." They had cleaned up most of the blood but she still looked so frail. It broke his heart to see her this way.

She burst into tears as they hauled her away and shouted back at him, "I love you!" She was gone before he could respond.

He pulled off his hat in frustration and toyed with the brim trying to stay stable. He had been in the fucking Oysterland for years and still had no idea what in the hell an "Emergency C Section" was.

A/N Thanks for reading! This is just the start of a wonderful adventure story I have dancing around in my head. Please R&R! New chapter soon!