Disclaimer: All aspects of Once Upon A Time belong to ABC and the show's creators;
Physical therapy was the worst thing about the hospital stay for Emma. Five days into her stay it started happening every day in half an hour sessions. The physiotherapist moved her arm up and down, backwards and forwards and made her lift a small weight with her bad arm. By the end of the sessions Emma was ready to put said weight in her good arm and chuck it at the therapist. Seriously, now many times did she have to say ow before this person caught on? Emma tried to tell herself that she hated the appointments because of the pain rotating her shoulder and trying to get back range of motion caused. She tried to tell herself that it wasn't because she was wheeled out of her room and to another ward, alone, before being subjected to the torture.
Emma was wheeled out of the therapy room after her session, arm back in its sling and shoulder stinging. She was finally leaving the hospital the following day so the session had been just awful. The worst one yet. The final big push before she became an outpatient. It was all she could do not to curse when she was jostled to a stop so the nurse who took her to the physio appointments could pull Emma's IV pole along behind them. The line pricked against her elbow as the slack on the tubing ran out and Emma bit down on her lip hard enough to draw blood, her mouth filling with the metallic taste. But at least she hadn't said something she would regret.
Just as they rounded the corner out of the ward a familiar figure pushed himself off the wall opposite and sauntered over. The nurse stopped, recognizing the brown haired man from when she retrieved Emma from her room each day. Emma looked up at Killian, brow quirked quizzically. He always waited for her to finish in her room.
The two of them had been dancing around the thing they had since their conversation. A week of amicable company, Killian holding her hand tightly when the bandages were changed, defending her when Graham arrived one evening, angry at her rash behaviour during the hostage situation. Emma had told him afterwards about her history with Graham and that he was just scared for her but she couldn't help but smile at him as she corrected him. It was nice to have someone to do your fighting for you sometimes. Hand holding was the closest they had ever come to anything remotely romantic but as Killian had said, what they had was natural. Someday soon it might progress to something more but for now Emma was comfortable.
"Hello, stranger," Killian drawled. He motioned for the nurse to give him the handles of Emma's wheel chair. She complied, moving out of the way. "Would you mind if I took our patient back today?" Killian flashed his best smile and the nurse shook her head, instantly putty in his hands. Emma resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Seriously? It wasn't like he had some sort of magic power over women. The nurse walked back into the therapy ward, out of sight, before Killian wheeled Emma outside the nearest door and into a shady yard the hospital used as some sort of overgrown garden.
"Why were you waiting for me?" Emma asked after Killian had adjusted her IV pole behind her and tossed his black hoodie over her legs as a blanket because he hadn't counted on the chilly breeze to blow through the garden when it was sheltered by the looming brick wall of the hospital.
"I thought you might want a break from the room," he replied easily. "Fresh air always makes me feel better. The salt air of the sea would be best but I don't think I'm allowed to take you that far off the premises yet." He slid over on the bench so he was facing Emma straight on. "How was therapy?"
Now Emma did curse, making Killian laugh then run a gentle hand down her injured arm. "That bad?"
"Worse," Emma replied sourly. She sat back in her wheelchair restless, wanting nothing more than to get up and walk around. She was sick of just laying down. Or being pushed around in the wheelchair. But she hadn't done much walking in the past nine days, just to the bathroom and back to her bed, so her legs were weak. She wasn't sure how far she could get on her own.
Emma glanced around at the little garden they sat in. It was made of cobble stone paths and patches of soil filled with flowering shrubs and wildflowers that Emma guessed had shown up on their own, carried by the brisk wind that ran through the place. It didn't seem well used or well-loved but Emma felt safe sitting there. She wanted to go investigate it further.
Emma sat forward, moved the sweater to the side of the chair and used her good arm to push her up to a standing position. She wobbled slightly before her hand found her IV pole to steady herself. Killian scrambled up after her, arm reaching out and catching her around the waist. Emma froze at the strong grip, instantly regretting going forward with the plan. If she'd just sat still-
"What are you doing, Swan?" Killian asked, his voice husky. Emma put that down to her imagination. They must have given her too many painkillers with lunch because she definitely was imagining his hand tightening against her side, fingers massaging a little pattern into the dip of her waist.
"I wanted to go for a walk," she replied, as calmly as she could. It came out fairly believable, a feat that made Emma fill with pride.
"I could have pushed you wherever you wanted to go," Killian answered. Emma shook her head before he could place her back in the uncomfortable folding wheelchair seat.
"I want to walk," she told him, vehemently. Killian licked his bottom lip, weighing his options for a moment before nodding. Killian let go of her waist and grasped her good arm, looping it around his back so she had a grip of his torso. Killian did the same to her, holding her upright.
"You ready?" he asked. Emma nodded, determined and trying not to get caught up in the way he held her, firmly yet reverently.
Emma stepped forwards and Killian matched her step, humming into her ear as they moved. They were a few steps away from her wheelchair before he spoke. "Not so shabby, Swan," he murmured against her ear. Emma turned her head slightly and smirked up at him, exceptionally proud of herself.
"I have done this before, you know," she answered as they moved across the cobbled path at a reasonable pace. With him compensating for the muscle atrophy that had happened in her legs since she was shot by holding her up they were able to walk almost normally, as if Emma was just out for coffee.
"This?" Killian asked squeezing her waist, implying more than just walking. Emma gasped a little and stumbled forwards, the toe of her slipper getting caught in the crevice between two cobbles. Killian caught her as she pitched away from him, grabbing her by the shoulders. Emma squealed as one of his fingers pressed against her stitches and Killian released her in a panic. Emma was able to catch herself on a nearby bench before completely hitting the ground. She pulled herself up with her good arm and sat herself down on the bench, panting as the pain ebbed away.
Killian was kneeling on the ground where they had been standing, looking absolutely devastated. His hands sat on his knees, eyes downcast. Emma's guilt surged at the severity of the noise she had made. The pain had caught her by surprise was all. It hadn't actually been that bad. It was nothing compared to the therapy sessions she was forced to endure.
"Jones," Emma said softly, reaching forwards. Killian didn't move so Emma tried again. "Jones, come here," she asked.
He glanced up and there was loathing in his eyes, loathing at his own actions. The blue of his irises was dull and so unlike Killian that it made Emma slip down onto the cobbles and edge her way over until she was sitting in front of him.
She reached out and he flinched away. Killian would have fallen backwards onto his behind had Emma not lunged forward and grasped the fabric of his shirt, pulling back to right him again. He sagged against her hand when he realized she had no plans on letting him go now that she had a grip on him.
"Jones," Emma started calmly. "Killian, I'm fine. Look at me."
Killian looked up at his name but shook his head. "I did what I promised never to do." His voice was utterly broken and it cracked on promise.
"What?" Emma asked in shock. Her mind raced until she realized he was talking about hurting her, about grabbing her wound. "Killian, I promise you, you didn't hurt me. You just caught me by surprise."
"I'm no better than Neal," Killian confessed, a rush of air being expelled from his lungs so roughly Emma winced.
Emma had had enough. Because he had never once been like Neal. Neal wouldn't have cared if he hit a sore spot on her body. He'd nearly shattered her shoulder and barely batted an eye. Neal hadn't even apologized once for all the times he slapped her or pushed her down their apartment stairs while she was carrying groceries up. Killian wasn't Neal and maybe it took this reaction to causing her pain, even though it had been accidental, for her to realize that.
She let go of his shirt and grasped his hand, moving it until it sat on her shoulder. She adjusted it so his three center fingers each sat on a ridge of a scar. Killian watched, not breathing. When she had his hand in place she reached for his face, running her fingers up his jaw until they tangled in the hair over his ear, locking him in place. "Killian Jones," she said seriously. "You are not Neal. You are kind and caring and so absolutely lovely it scares me. But not in the way Neal scared me. Never in the way Neal scared me. "
And because Killian wasn't Neal she edged forwards and pressed her lips against his. Killian was still under her touch so Emma pulled back nervously, trying to look him in the eye to see if she'd gone too far. When she moved away from him Killian followed, trapping her lips against his. The gentle pressure of his mouth was matched by a pressure around her waist as Killian grabbed her with one arm and moved her onto his lap. Once situated on his thighs Killian opened his mouth, urging Emma to do the same. Emma complied, letting her tongue slip into his mouth and run along the inside edge of his bottom lip. A low growl reverberated through Killian's chest and he sucked her lip into his mouth, nibbling down gently. Emma pulled her lip back because she wanted to kiss him too, not just be kissed. She firmed up her grasp of his hair and pushed him against her mouth, their tongues tangling together as the nervous kiss Emma had started sparked something inside of her. But for once it was a good something.
She pulled back gasping for air and watched Killian's face until his eyes opened. They did so slowly, lazily and he smiled when he took her in, blushed and panting from the force of the kiss. "See," Emma whispered, resting her hand against his that still sat on her scars. "Not Neal."
"I am sorry, Swan," Killian said seriously.
"About the kiss?" Emma asked, instantly afraid. Killian hadn't seemed to regret the action in the moment but now that he was coming back to reality, maybe now he saw it all as a big mistake. Maybe the kiss made him realize that he had no feelings for her that went past friendship.
"No, love," Killian replied quickly, dusting his lips against hers as if to further prove his answer. "About hurting you."
"I'm a big girl, Jones," Emma replied with a smirk, relieved. "I don't go down so easily."
"I know. But sadly you are also a big girl who needs to get back to her room before the nurses think I kidnapped her."
Emma pouted at him but he just laughed. Killian slid a hand under her knees and moved his other down her back slightly, supporting her, before standing. Emma startled a little when he stood, her hand grasping at the soft cotton of his shirt. He carried her a few strides before hooking his foot around her IV pole and rolling it towards them. A few more steps and he set Emma down in her wheelchair gently, rearranging her sling so it sat without any wrinkles against her chest. He picked up his hoodie and set it back down on her legs. A quick kiss dusted over her cheek before Killian disappeared behind her and started to push her back inside.
"You doing okay?" Killian asked as he pushed her up the hall. She knew he didn't mean how she was feeling physically.
"I don't regret it. It felt natural."
"Good."
"I'm still not ready to label this though," Emma said quickly.
"I didn't ask you to."
"Okay," Emma replied nodding to herself. She could exist with whatever she had with Killian as long as she didn't have to label it. It was the labels that got scary because they came with pressure. Natural had no pressure because whatever happened, happened. Emma didn't have to deal with things like first dates, anniversaries, living with each other. This was a better set up anyways with Killian working away so much. It would be easier on both of them in Emma's opinion.
Killian stopped just in front of Emma's room and moved around in front of her. "Thank you for letting me in. This is just in case it takes a while for you to remember to unlock the door again." Killian moved towards her and pressed his lips against hers sweetly.
Emma was just about to deepen the kiss, wanting, needing more but they were stopped by an ecstatic squeal from the doorway. They broke apart, blushing furiously, to see Ruby doing a little happy dance several feet away. Mary Margaret and David joined her quickly, stunned looks crossing their faces before Ruby shot her hand towards David.
"Pay up, bud," she instructed, laughing as David grumbled, digging in his pocket and pulling out a twenty.
"You bet on us?" Emma spit out, completely shocked and just a little bit angry.
"It was only a matter of time before you were boyfriend and girlfriend," Ruby told them, cocky.
"We haven't picked a label yet," Emma replied quickly. David let out a cry of victory and snatched the bill back.
"Told you I knew her better," he called at Ruby.
Emma rolled her eyes. She'd had enough of their silliness at her expense. She put her arm down from the IV pole and gave herself a push towards the door. Killian caught her before she could get to far, pulling the IV pole towards them and moving her past her friends in the door.
"Just because we aren't anything official doesn't mean I'm not a gentleman," Killian told her quietly when she glanced back, her glare a little sharper than she would have liked. She was upset with her friends, not him.
Killian helped her into bed and pulled the covers over her legs. "They're just happy for you, Swan. Just like I am."
"You're happy with us, right?" Emma asked then cursed herself. Why couldn't she just trust that Killian truly did have feelings for her? He had at fourteen and he seemed to still have them now. Surely that should be more than enough evidence for her. But she still couldn't shake that sliver of doubt that she was truly loveable. It wouldn't be as easy as a kiss in a garden to fix years of abuse, stemming right from her childhood. But at least it was a start.
"Ecstatic," Killian answered. He gave her hand a squeeze before going back to his chair and settling in for the evening, only moving to fetch the pizza the group ordered when they saw what Emma had been given for supper. When none of them could figure out what animal the slab of gooey meat product originated from they decided that the best course of action would be to go for the tastiest mystery meat out there- pepperoni.
When their fingers brushed as Killian handed Emma a piece of pepperoni pizza she smiled coyly, feeling like a bashful school girl. When Ruby made a lewd comment towards the two of them she blushed but her toes curled. When a nurse came to draw Emma's blood for her final tests she held Killian's hand and he rubbed tiny circles into her skin and she shuddered at the care he had for her. And when Emma's friends left and Killian shut the door then climbed into the other hospital bed Emma slept, safe and comfortable, the pain of Neal a little bit less than it had been when she woke up.